


And when it's done we will walk where the road meets the sun

by zefrumiousbandersnatch



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-04
Updated: 2017-04-24
Packaged: 2018-09-21 23:55:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 33,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9572507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zefrumiousbandersnatch/pseuds/zefrumiousbandersnatch
Summary: When Lena resolved to live her life and forget her obviously unrequited feelings for Kara, she didn't realize she was signing up for one hell of a roller coaster ride.-In which Lena and Kara take the longest winding road possible to each other, inadvertently endangering and saving the world in the process.





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> Hold on to your seats. It's going to be bat shit crazy.

_The girl who lied._

 

“Miss Luthor.” 

Lena snaps out of her reverie. She blinks once, twice.

“You were saying,” the judge looks at her expectantly from the bench.

“Apologies,” Lena says, turning back to the crowd in front of her.

She spots Kara sitting in the gallery, a small but supportive smile on her face. The crowd waits for her to speak and she ventures a look at the defendant. Lex. Orange really isn’t a good color on him. He looks at her and Lena immediately looks away.

“Yes,” Lena says. “I would say Lex had always shown signs of mental instability when we were growing up.”

When Lena looks back at Kara, she can’t help but see a brief look of disappointment etched on her face.

 -

In the end, Lex Luthor is given a life sentence.

 -

“It’s all over.”

“That it is.”

“Well, let’s get you home. We can get some of your favorite food and drink a lot of wine. Heck, we can have a sleepover, if you want.”

“Actually, I think I want to be alone right now.”

“Oh,” If Kara looks a little crestfallen, she hides it immediately. “Of course. I understand.”

 -

The following week after Lex’s trial, she keeps to herself. She goes to work, goes home, and maintains minimum contact to those around her. Kara continues to text her, but she stays away and respects Lena’s wish to be alone.

The fog lifts when she runs into Winn on one of her solitary runs through the local park.

“Lena Luthor, as I live and breathe,” he smiles and gestures to the seat next to him on the bench. She’s just run 6 miles and he’s well into his second donut, by the look of crumbs on his shirt.

“Winn,” Lena acknowledges him and takes a seat. “How have you been?”

“Oh, I’ve been swell,” Winn says. “Won more at game night this week, what with my archnemesis on a sabbatical.”

“Did you mean Alex won all the games this week, with her archnemesis on a sabbatical?”

 Winn shoves the rest of the donut in his mouth and crosses his arms.

“Yes,” Winn mumbles with a mouthful of donut.

“With minimal effort?”

"Minimal to none.”

Lena smiles. She looks out at the park and sees two girls playing tag by the lake. She checks her phone and sees an unanswered text from Kara.

“She’s bursting at the seams, you know,” Winn tells her. “She’s a mess, but she’s trying hard to let you come back on your own terms.”

Lena’s quiet.

“She misses you,” Winn adds. He nudges her shoulder with his. “Everyone does.”

“I’ve been a hermit for a week, not a year,” Lena notes.

“Well, a week is too long to be gone,” Winn tells her, before hesitantly adding, “There have been some developments.”

“Like?”

“Well—”

Winn’s phone goes off. Loudly.

He cringes as Lena raises her eyebrow.

“Really?”

“It’s a good song!”

Lena watches him as he fumbles with his phone, Nicki Minaj’s Superbass blasting through the speakers.

“Hello? Yeah. Okay, okay. I’m coming.”

He hangs up and drops his head.

“Work?”

“Yep.”

Winn gets up and makes to leave.

“See you at game night?” He says, a hint of hopefulness in his voice.

“Of course.”

-

She shouldn’t have gone to game night is the first thing that pops into Lena’s mind when she sees Mon-El take Kara’s hand and kiss it after she opens the door for him.

She feels Winn wrangle wine glass out of her hands, mumbling something about her breaking the stem. He doesn’t meet her eyes when she turns sharply.

“Winn?” She inquires, composure held from years of practice.

“Well, I was trying to tell you the other day…”

“Look, Mon-El!” Kara says cheerily as she drags him over. “Lena’s back this week.”

Lena’s smile could have given Meryl Streep a run for her money. She forcefully snatches back her wine from Winn.

“I have a title to defend after all,” She says with a smile.

-

The rest of the night is torture. Lena plays her part well and is seemingly unaffected. But she has to remind herself not to break her wine glass every time Kara leans in or every time Mon-El kisses the crown of her head.

Lena makes it halfway through the night before she decides to text Jess about the trip to Germany she’s been postponing. She’s acting like a juvenile and this can’t continue.

_Tomorrow, Miss Luthor?_

_Yes,_ she texts back. _The earliest flight possible._

Jess replies five minutes later.

_Your flight leaves at 5:30 am tomorrow._

 

 

_When women have dinner in Paris._

 

 

A week-long trip extends to a month in Europe, turning it into an opportunity for Lena to tour L-Corp holdings in the region and explore start-ups that align to her current business plan: a biotech firm in Norway, a renewable energy think tank in the Netherlands, a space exploration agency in Germany. It’s refreshing, in more ways than one. She’s away from the media circus her brother’s sentencing has brought on and re-energizing all the revolutionary projects she’s had to shelve earlier as a consequence.

There is also the matter of Kara Danvers.

Lena fucks a different woman in each city. Not one of them is interested in who she is or what her name is, just how many drinks she pays for and how quickly she can make them come. It helps her forget, even for a few seconds. It’s hard to, especially when Kara texts her every day.

She stares at the picture of Kara in a cleanroom gown, reading the caption in the following message.

‘Your earlier message inspired me. I’m learning about genetic therapy today for an article! Did you know we can use viruses as little taxi drivers?’

“Lena Luthor.”

Imagine Lena’s surprise when she looks up and finds Cat Grant taking a seat at her table. She puts her purse on the chair next to her and immediately orders a glass of wine without so much a glance at Lena. She takes the offered menu and reads like there is a ‘dinner with Lena Luthor, Paris, 7 pm’ note penned in her personal calendar. Lena is tempted to check hers to make sure she didn’t miss anything.

“Cat Grant,” Lena finally says. “Not that I’m not honored by the company, but what can I do for you?”

Cat puts the menu down and looks at Lena.

“Well, I was on my way to my usual table when I happened to glance over and see you looking forlornly at your phone. So I did what any self-respecting powerful and rich and hot woman would do and marched over to tell you this is not a set of ‘All My Children’ where you can take your beautiful, dramatic self and wax poetic about some man over an exquisitely plated coquilles St-Jacques. It’s simply a waste of good food.”

“Woman,” Lena breathes out, stopping Cat mid-rant. She raises an eyebrow. Lena smirks, leaning back and sipping her wine.

“Surely, the queen of media herself can do a simple Google search of my preferences and past dalliances.”

“Oh,” Cat counters with a long sip of her own wine. “And here I was choosing to glaze over your collegial exploits that weren’t supposed to ever see the light of day, or so your lawyers claim, but if you really want to talk about it…”

Lena purses her lips as Cat smirks behind her wine glass. She spits out her order in fast, abrasive French without looking at their waiter, and takes a piece of bread from the basket in front of her.

“So, I see Sunny Danvers is still carefree as ever.”

Lena moves to lock her phone and curses internally when the text message is replaced with the lock screen image of her and Kara.

She’s impressed at how much higher Cat Grant’s eyebrow rises. It almost rivals her own eyebrow’s abilities.

“You want my advice?”

“I suppose you’ll be giving it to me even if I kindly refuse.”

“I don’t see you with a wealth of good women role models, little Luthor,” Cat counters and Lena almost scoffs. She’s a grown woman running a multi-billion dollar corporation. Dammit.

“It’s very Wuthering Heights of you,” Cat continues without waiting for a response. “Pining and running away to Europe.”

Lena opens her mouth to protest but Cat puts a hand up to stop her.

“It’s not going to work, whatever it is that you’re trying to achieve.”

“And what, pray tell, do you suggest?”

Cat takes a sip of her wine as a plate of food is placed in front of her. She takes her cutlery and slices a piece, Lena sitting back patiently as Cat Grant makes this moment drag on forever.

“The only person responsible for your happiness is you,” Cat stops to dab the napkin on the corner of her mouth. “So stop waiting around and live your life.”

-

When Lena returns from her self-imposed exile, she gets straight to work. She tweaks her ten year plan for L-Corp, filling in details previously marked by question marks and blank spaces.

She shows up at Kara’s unannounced with more takeout than humanly possible, as a peace offering of sorts, and happily answers Kara’s questions about her trip. She mentions her plans to bring the most recent regenerative medicine advancement to the masses and Kara sits up in excitement.

“Oh my gosh!” She exclaims, causing Lena to drop her chopsticks. “You have to talk to my mom!”

“Your mom?” Lena asks slowly.

“Yeah,” Kara turns, pulling her phone out. “She has a PhD in Bioengineering and her lab is currently working on regenerative tissue engineering. She’s currently focusing on nerves, using stem cell differentiation, but I’m sure she’d love to collaborate. Her and Alex.”

Kara holds up her phone to show Lena her mom’s lab website. Lena takes the phone and scrolls through the recent publications. She’s not even surprised at Kara’s own knowledge on the matter, given her aptitude for learning.

“Huh,” She says to herself, unaware that Kara is watching her with unbridled excitement. “Can you connect me with her?”

She turns and is almost blindsided by the hug that Kara gives her.

“This is so exciting!” Kara exclaims. “I’ve always wanted for my mom to get to know you better. Now you can!”

Lena laughs and pats her head.

“Now I can get the embarrassing stories straight from the source,” She jokes.

 

 

 

_Just keep swimming, just keep swimming_

 

 

 

They start sailing together accidentally. Alex mentions she’s always wanted to learn how to sail and that turns into Kara furiously nodding, still subconsciously trailing after her big sister, and Maggie begrudgingly agreeing, despite her mild fear of water (‘What? I grew up in the Midwest!’).

Lena, conveniently and to nobody’s surprise, owns a sailboat.

So Sunday morning finds Lena at the National City dock preparing her sailboat.

“Lena!”

When she looks up from the knot she’s working on, she sees Kara approaching on the dock. There is no Alex or Maggie in sight.

“Dare I ask where the wonder twins are?” She asks.

Kara laughs, like she’s wont to do every time Lena refers to Alex and Maggie as the wonder twins.

“Food poisoning,” She explains. “It’s not a pretty sight.”

Lena crinkles her nose.

“So it’s just you and me” Kara exclaims. “Sailing the high seas together!”

Lena smiles. She holds her hand out to Kara, who takes it and smiles.

“Sounds like the perfect Sunday.”

-

It becomes their thing.

On Sundays, Lena wakes up and heads to the dock and Kara meets her there with breakfast in tow. Kara’s a quick study and learns to rig the boat herself by the third time around. Sometimes Alex and Maggie tag along. Winn joins for one Sunday and clings on to the railing the entire time, hurling only once. Most of the time though, it’s just the two of them. Kara brings her sketchpad and draws, while Lena allows herself the luxury of doing nothing.

It’s the most action her sailboat has seen in years, Lena thinks to herself while she’s at the helm. Kara turns and waves and Lena’s pretty sure Kara’s windswept look while she stands at the bow, hair tousled and skin glowing from the sun, is the closest she’ll ever get to seeing Kara up close while she’s flying in the skies.

-

“Whatcha doin’?”

“Nothing,” Lena snaps, pulling the blueprints close to her chest. Winn pouts and wedges himself between Alex and Lena on the couch.

“Leave us alone, Winnifred,” Alex snaps, reviewing papers. She points to something on the document and Lena nods in agreement.

“Come on Lena,” He says, glaring at Alex. “Are those plans for the ion propulsion jet you’re developing with CalTech and NASA?”

Lena’s jaw drops.

“…That are most definitely classified and not open to the public,” Winn cringes.

“Winn,” Lena smiles. “Do me a favor and lean a little closer. So I can asphyxiate you.”

“Maggie is on her way, you know,” Alex offers. “In case you don’t want to dirty your hands.”

“Well maybe L-Corp should get better cyber security,” Winn counters.

“I don’t think you’re in a position to argue anything.”

Jimmy laughs and sits on the arm chair, handing Lena and Alex bottles of beer.

“He hacks countries for fun,” Jimmy notes. “He has a personal best record”

“Hello, Vladimir Putin’s private server of questionable pictures in 1.47 minutes,” Winn says proudly. He scoffs at Alex’s Very Judgmental Face™.

“I can’t help it if I’m curious. I’m friends with the mind behind L-Corp, the next Bill Gates! All this revolutionary tech at my—uh, your fingertips!”

“Have you ever thought about asking Lena?” Alex asks with a raised eyebrow.

Winn looks from Alex to Lena and then back to Alex, both looking at him with raised brows.

“That’s silly. That would never work.”

“Of course it would,” Kara chimes in, bringing the Seven Wonders board game to the coffee table. “Lena always tells me things when I ask.”

“Lena always tells me things when I ask,” Winn mimics in his best Kara tone, receiving a slap on the shoulder from Kara. “Ow!”

When Kara’s attention is pulled to Mon-El balancing food at the door, Winn quickly turns to Lena and hisses.

“Of course she tells you everything, when she’s so smitten wit—OW!” Lena also slaps Winn on the opposite shoulder. “What is with the hitting today?”

Jimmy laughs.

“Lena,” Jimmy starts. “I’ll save this one from further ruin. Can you tell me what you and Alex are working on?”

“Yes, Jimmy,” Lena answers, unrolling the plans. “Since you asked so nicely.”

“Woah,” Winn mumbles, rubbing the arm Kara slapped. “What is this?”

“Well,” Lena takes a deep breath. “I’m investing in biotechnology, specifically regenerative engineering. Eliza told me about her recent work with nerve cells, and Alex has had some hands on experience, so I’m trying to see if I can marry that with the most recent advancements in biotech and help create viable organs for transplant.”

“Like a heart for Alex?” Winn quips. “Ow!”

“You have enough heart for both of us,” Alex says. “We don’t need two people crying every time the Amazon commercial is on.”

“It’s not my fault it speaks to me, okay? The poor puppy just wanted to be friends. Sue me.”

“Anyway,” Lena interrupts.

“Is that an eyeball?” Winn asks, moving his face closer to the prints.

“Yes,” Lena explains. “I’m not as well versed in optics, but I’m trying to see if we can take it a step further and improve human vision.”

“Like a camera lens,” Jimmy pipes in.

Lena turns to look at him with a curious face.

“I never thought of it like that,” She says thoughtfully. “That certainly makes it easier to conceptualize.”

Lena sits back and takes a look at the three of them engrossed at her blueprints. Jimmy points to the sketch, explaining principles of photography to Alex and how they apply to parameters of vision. Winn nods, thinking of algorithms to tie in all the parameters.

“What are you two doing this Saturday?” Lena asks. They both look at her.

“Just a Tae Kwon Do class and then I’m free,” Jimmy notes.

“Well, I might have to pencil you in with my Karatedo and Jiu Jitsu Crossfit—fine, fine, I have nothing,” Winn admits after three sets of eyes look at him questioningly. “What do you have in mind?”

“Swing by my office, you can join me and Alex while we look at some modifications.”

Jimmy smiles, excited at the prospect of applying photography to life saving science. Winn, on the other hand, looks like he’s about to cry on the spot.

“What did I say about crying?” Alex sighs exasperatedly. 

-

_“Well, I for one am glad I only have to listen to you mope and wax poetic over this girl. God knows it wouldn’t be good for my eyesight if I had to look at you too.”_

“I recall you calling me, not the other way around, you know,” Lena rolls her eyes, reviewing reports in front of her. “And I’m neither moping nor waxing poetic.”

Cat Grant tuts in the Bluetooth device on her ear.

_“Your cry for help in your email is enough of an invitation. I can read between the lines.”_

“My email was one sentence long.”

_“Semantics.”_

A knock from her door interrupts their conversation. Lena looks up and sees Jess standing with a folder. She holds her finger up.

“Cat, I’m afraid I’m going to have to call you back,” Lena explains.

_“You will do no such thing.”_

“I have a very important meeting right now,” Lena adds.

_“No, you don’t. You just said you—”_

“Bye, Cat.”

_“Lena Lutho—”_

Lena laughs and takes her headset off. She turns to Jess.

“Jess, how can I help you?” She says with a smile. She notices Jess hesitantly approaching her desk, laying a folder in front of her.

“Miss Luthor,” Jess starts.

“Is this you resigning?” Lena says slowly, eyeing the folder distrustfully. “Because that’s not allowed. This whole company will fall apart without you. And the next thing you’ll hear about me is I’ve become an alcoholic to dull the pain.”

That seems to break her assistant’s trepidation. Jess laughs and pushes the folder over.

“It’s not, Miss Luthor,” Jess explains. “Don’t be so dramatic.”

Lena smiles and gets up. She urges Jess to sit and reaches for the folder.

“So,” She starts, settling back into her chair. “What do you have for me?”

When she opens the folder, she sees something she doesn’t at all expect.

“When I was planning your trip to Europe a few months ago, I consciously avoided certain routes because of the impending migrant crisis. I knew it would impede your schedule, so I thought it would be best to plan ahead.”

Jess stops and Lena looks down at the folder.

“I apologize if it feels like I’m taking advantage of my position,” Jess begins. “But my research in planning the trip showed me how horrible the migrant crisis is. These people are suffering, and I couldn’t…”

She stops and Lena urges her to continue.

“You know my parents were refugees,” Jess explains. “And I appreciate all that you’ve done for them and for their community.”

Lena’s about to protest when Jess stops her.

“Even though you insist you had no involvement.”

Jess rolls her eyes and Lena smiles.

“I’ve compiled some potential projects and charities,” Jess gestures to the folder. “I think L-Corp can make a difference. We can provide clean drinking water with our Water Purification business, or maybe better shelters with the Construction Materials business. There’s a lot we can do, without being politically involved. And—”

“Jess,” Lena stops her. “Please work with HR to hire some executive assistants.”

Jess’s face falls. She stills in her movements and composes herself.

“Miss Luthor—”

“As quickly as possible,” Lena looks up from the folder and meets her eyes. “They’ll be reporting to you.”

“I, to, what?” Jess looks at her with confusion. Lena smiles, deciding to give her a break.

“You can have two or three if you’d like,” Lena explains. “Divest some of your responsibilities. Effective immediately, you’ll be leading these projects with a committee I’ll help you assemble. A team I’ll sit in as well.”

Jess looks like she could cry.

“I only ask one thing,” Lena stops. “Well, two things.”

“Yes, Miss Luthor.”

“One, access to my emails and personal phones will remain with you. I don’t really trust anybody else,” Lena explains and notes the faint look of pride on Jess’s face, who has been her trusted aide since her early days in the small, crammed office in Metropolis.

 _‘You must learn the business from the ground up, Lena,’_ She remembers her father saying.

Lena shakes the memory away and focuses her attention back on Jess.

“And two,” Lena continues. “I think it’s high time you called me Lena, don’t you think so?”

Jess smiles and takes the folder Lena’s handing her.

“Yes, Miss Lu-Lena.” 

-

“I wanted to sail on all seven seas when I was younger,” Lena reminisces. They’re relaxing on her sailboat, sunbathing and quietly discussing the rise and fall of Ancient Rome, when Lena remembers her foolish aspirations.

Lena’s discovered during these moments with Kara just how voracious a learner Kara is. They’ve discussed the gamut of topics—from history to politics, and from advancements in science to Rumi’s poetry. Kara is still hesitant to talk about her life _before_ , as she keeps referring to it, but little by little, Lena finds herself being given the privilege of seeing bits and pieces shine through. In return, she finds herself divulging parts of herself here and there.

“I had it all planned out. I would spend a year traveling the world. I came up with it after reading ‘Log from the Sea of Cortez’ by Steinbeck.”

“Your favorite book,” Kara adds, like she’s saying ‘sky is blue.’ She puts away her sketchbook and lies down next to Lena.

“And I wanted to do what they did in that book. Experience culture like you never would through business, be anonymous. Eat at local roadside eateries. Swim in a river.”

Kara takes her sunglasses off and leans on her side. Lena turns and looks at her.

“Find pretty girls.”

Lena laughs and pretends not to notice Kara’s blush.

A peaceful quiet takes over. The sound of waves crashing against the hull and the whistling wind against the sails occupy the space between them. Lena watches the birds flying overhead, thinking of Kara in flight above the ocean.

“Don’t you think it’s interesting?”

“What is?” Kara seems to have recovered from her earlier flushed state. She lies back down next to Lena, only an inch closer.

“You and me,” Lena explains. “We’re similar and different. Your home is gone, I was taken from mine before I knew it. Our real parents are dead. My brother is Alexander and your sister is Alexandria.”

“But…” Lena pauses. “Your Alexandria loves you and mine wants to kill me.”

“Lena…”

Lena ignores her.

“You’re bright and sunny, like the morning sky.”

“And you have pale skin that reminds me of moonlight and dark hair that shines like the night sky?” Kara adds and it’s Lena’s turn to blush.

“Right,” Lena clears her throat.

“And, you love to fly,” Lena continues. “I’ve never seen you happier than when you’re soaring in the sky. I love the ocean and I’m terrified of flying.”

Kara nods softly.

“And yet we’re here,” Kara adds after a beat. “Together.”

Lena doesn’t say anything, because they’re not. For someone with a reputation of always getting what she wants, Lena’s not going to put her happiness above Kara’s. She quietly reminds herself that Kara is with someone else, someone who is decidedly not her, someone who makes her happy. She reminds herself that this is enough.

“That we are,” Lena agrees.

“Do you think you’ll ever sail around the world like you originally planned?”

The question throws Lena off-guard, mostly because she hasn’t really thought about it again.

“Maybe,” Lena muses. “But I don’t think I’d want to go alone.”

Kara links their pinkies and smiles.

“Well good, because I was going to invite myself.”

Lena laughs.

“Sounds like a plan.”

 

 

 

_Boy, that woman is a force of nature._

 

 

 

It’s well into Saturday morning, almost a year after her brother’s imprisonment, when things take an interesting turn. Lena, Alex, and Winn are hard at work with their biotech prototypes. Two steps forward and one step back is a nice way to describe their pet project, and Lena’s finding out after many long nights that a frustrated Winn should not be given caffeine. Because the only thing worse than a frustrated Winn is an energized and frustrated Winn around fragile materials and a very irritated Alex.

“Winn, please stop breathing down my neck,” Lena says as she leans in to carefully place the polyacrylamide scaffolding to grow optic nerves.

“Sorry,” Winn literally breathes out on Lena’s neck, hovering behind her.

“Winn,” Lena warns.

Alex grabs him by the collar and Winn backs off with his hands up in the air.

“Sorry, sorry,” he mumbles. He takes the closest thing—Alex’s arm—and squeezes it with his hands. “I can’t handle the suspense.”

“Do me a favor and try not to cry,” Alex grumbles.

“Yeah, well let’s not get all high and mighty, miss-I-cried-when-my-girlfriend-asked-me-to-move-in.”

“Winn, I swear to god.”

A laugh echoes from the tablet on the bench top.

“You’re moving in with Maggie?” Eliza Danvers says from her lab.

Eliza’s tissue engineering and stem cell differentiation work coupled with Lena’s biotech developments have shown significant strides since starting their venture. L-Corp’s investments in promising biotech firms have accelerated the process and, truth be told, Lena can’t blame Winn for his excitement. They are so, so close to propelling regenerative medicine to the next century.

“Did I miss it?” Jimmy calls from behind them. Winn immediately trades Alex’s hostile arm to Jimmy’s forearm.

“Hold me, I’m nervous,” He mumbles out.

Alex shakes her head and Lena shushes them.

“Boys, let Lena focus,” Eliza chides from the tablet. A chorus of ‘sorry’s’ responds.

“Alright Luthor,” Alex chimes in. “Just like we practiced.”

Lena nods to herself, grabbing her forceps to lay the fragile fiber optic nanotubes in the polyacrylamide scaffolds. She holds her breath, conscious of the four pairs of eyes looking at her. When she lays the final tube, she backs away slowly. Which is good, because arms immediately engulf her.

“Good job, Luthor!” Alex says, throwing an arm over her shoulder.

“You did it!” Winn exclaims in her ear, ambushing both of them in a tight hug. Lena doesn’t even cringe. With the invasion of personal space in the form of a Lena sandwich and Eliza’s excited science babble from the tablet, Lena feels like she’s on top of the world.

A distant boom interrupts their celebrations. The ground shakes and they all look out to find a blur of blue and red zooming in the sky. What follows Kara, on the other hand, is not a welcome sight. A large alien flies behind her, gangly tentacles stretching out to grab the superhero.

“Kara!” Lena yells out.

The four of them hurry out of the lab, leaving a worried Eliza asking an empty room for an explanation. 

-

They arrive at the docks, where Kara has led the alien over the sea to minimize collateral damage. Lena watches with trepidation as the police move to control the crowd that’s started to form. Winn and Alex have since run off to the DEO headquarters, leaving Jimmy and Lena to watch in fear for their friend’s life.

When the alien causes a large wave to rise up above the crowd, Lena and Jimmy get separated in the scuffle. People scatter down the streets, away from the approaching alien.

Lena ventures a look behind her and runs into a solid body.

“Hello there,” a blonde woman greets with a brilliant smile. Lena looks at her incredulously, ducking as more debris is thrown their way.

“Come here often?” She continues. Lena doesn’t have time to express her disbelief as a chunk of concrete is sent their way. She pulls the other woman behind a nearby car.

“I can’t say I normally frequent sites of superhero-villain fight scenes,” Lena retorts, inching up to look through the window for any sign that Kara is okay. “But here we are.”

The woman’s smile widens.

“Well,” She starts, taking out a metallic stick from behind her. “Today must be my lucky day since you decided to grace us with your presence.

She clicks a button and the stick extends to a Bo staff with a swift woosh.

“What the hell is that?” Lena exclaims.

“It’s my disco stick,” The woman winks. She then gets up and hoists herself on the roof of the car. Lena watches in disbelief.

“Get down!” Lena hisses. She frowns when she notices the woman was gone.

Moving to take a peek, Lena sees the woman and a group of others approach the monster. Kara turns and there is a look of recognition on her face.

“I can’t let you have all the fun, Super!” The woman laughs out, leaping up in the air. 

-

Once the alien is subdued and dragged away, Lena emerges from her hiding place. Kara is nowhere in sight, and she hasn’t heard from Jimmy since they got separated.

“Leaving so soon?”

The woman from earlier walks over, collapsing the Bo staff and tucking it away.

“Look—”

“Because I’m a little parched, and I’m wondering if you’d like to grab a drink with me.”

“Lena! Sara!”

Both Lena and the woman—Sara, Lena surmises—turn at the sound of Kara’s voice. Lena lets out a breath of relief at the sight of an unharmed Kara. She’s still in her supersuit, so Lena holds herself instead of hugging Kara. She’ll never get used to having a friend constantly flinging herself at danger.

“What are you doing here?” Kara stops and hugs Sara.

“Right now? Asking this lovely lady out for a drink,” Sara answers with a cheeky grin. Lena rolls her eyes.

“What?” Kara asks, slightly confused.

“And she was just about to say yes.”

Lena scoffs.

“I beg your pardon. I don’t even know who you are.”

“Sara Lance,” Sara sticks her hand out. Lena stares at it.

“Lena Luthor,” She takes the offered hand in front of her.

Lena will deny it with her dying breath, but when Sara takes her hand and kisses it, she’s positive she’s blushing. 

-

“So,” Sara starts, handing Lena a cold bottle of beer. “Tell me …”

Lena takes a long, unladylike gulp and looks at Sara with a raised eyebrow.

“How long have you been in love with Kara?”

On cue, Lena chokes on her beer and the sound of Kara’s laughter filters out from inside the apartment. Lena takes a cursory glance back inside and relaxes when she notices no one is paying attention to them on the balcony. Sara pats her on the back. They are at Kara’s for an impromptu gathering; Kara’s own friends with Sara’s gaggle of men.

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business,” Lena snaps once her trachea has been unclogged of beer. Sara doesn’t get offended, she just laughs and leans back. After a particularly long gulp of beer, she turns look at Kara. Winn and Jimmy are regaling them with the earlier triumph in the lab and Kara’s face is bright with awe.

“I don’t think I like him,” Sara notes, nodding towards Mon-El.

Lena shrugs and looks away when Mon-El slings an arm over Kara’s shoulders. She takes another drink and has to wipe away at the corner of her mouth.

“If he makes her happy,” She comments. “Then that’s good enough for me.”

Sara looks at her for a second, like she’s trying to read something from Lena’s eyes, and shakes her head.

“That’s dumb.”

“I’m offended,” Lena says half-heartedly.

Sara sighs next to her. She tips her beer back and drains it in one go.

“Finish your beer.”

“Why on earth would I do that?”

“Because,” Sara winks. “Daddy’s going to show you a good time.” 

-

The sun is rising outside her bedroom window and Lena quietly wonders if anyone stayed to help Kara clean up her apartment.

“This bed is the softest bed I’ve been on,” Sara voice calls her back. “And I’ve slept on beds across time and space.”

Lena looks over and finds her on her side, leaning on her hand. The bedsheet pools around her waist. Lena’s learned who Sara is and how she knows Kara. She’s amazed and curious, but Sara keeps her otherwise preoccupied.

“Do you make it a habit to sleep with women from every era and dimension you visit?” Lena quirks an eyebrow up.

“A lady never tells,” Sara winks. She moves to look at her watch-less wrist. “I still have a few hours left.”

“Whatever will we do with all that time?” Lena ventures, moving to straddle the other woman.

Sara waggles her eyebrow, grabbing Lena by the ass and pulling her up to her face.

“I have a couple of ideas.”

If she’s thankful for anything at the moment, it’s that she owns the entire top two floors of her building. 

-

Lena’s left wondering why Kara refuses to meet her eyes when they meet to sail that morning. Alex and Maggie tag along for the ride and Alex busies herself with attempting to engage both of them in discussion. It’s only after they’ve docked that Lena remembers Kara’s super hearing abilities, which would explain why she’s beet red when their hands accidently brush while rigging the boat.

 

 

 

_Like ships in the night, you keep passing me by_

 

 

 

Things return to normal once the whirlwind that is Sara Lance and the Legends leave town. Months pass and she throws herself into her work, making significant headway with the bionics project. They’ve managed to recreate the optic nerve network, wiring it with the pupil-like lens Jimmy helped them design.

 _“Well you certainly seem lighter,”_ Cat’s voice drawls out from the speaker phone. _“Did you finally act on those horrid feelings of yours?”_

“I know you find it difficult to believe, but I do other things aside from having unrequited feelings.”

_“Oh, trust me, I know. I can’t go anywhere in Europe without hearing about your company’s admirable charity work with the refugee crisis.”_

“That’s all Jess’s work. I had nothing to do with it,” Lena notes. A knock on the door startles her.

“Lena?” Kara calls from the doorway.

 _“Speak of the devil,”_ Cat calls from the speakerphone.

“Miss Grant?” Kara says, surprise evident on her face.

 _“Hello, Kiera,”_ Cat greets, insisting on using the wrong name no matter how many times Lena corrects her. _“I trust you’re still doing well from last we talked.”_

“I, yes, I’m doing well,” Kara responds, giving Lena a questioning look and taking a seat across from her.

 _“I read your article on developing technologies in space exploration,”_ Cat explains. _“Not of my own volition, of course. But I was stuck in traffic and it was the only magazine available for me to read in the town car.”_

“Of course,” Lena rolls her eyes and Kara stifles a laugh.

 _“It’s excellent,”_ Cat says with disdain and a hint of pride.

“Thank you,” Kara says with a smile. Lena gives her an encouraging smile in return. “That means a lot to me, Miss Grant.”

 _“Yes, well,”_ Cat clears her throat. _“Let’s not all get sentimental like a bunch of hormonal teenagers on a CW show.”_

“Heaven forbid,” Lena says sarcastically.

 _“Time for me to depart, I’m afraid,”_ Cat tuts from the phone. _“Places to be, people to see.”_

“Don’t let us hold you back,” Lena remarks.

Cat laughs.

_“I’d like to see you try, Little Luthor. Au revoir.”_

The line goes silent and Kara looks up at Lena.

“What just happened?” Kara asks. Lena shrugs.

“I ask myself that question every time I speak to her.”

Kara laughs, opting to change the topic. Something has shifted between them since Sara’s visit. It’s very subtle, but it hasn’t gone unnoticed by Lena. Kara is always a little too affectionate with everyone (which is probably why everyone, bar Alex, is a little in love with her), but there is always a sense of hesitation with Lena. Like she’s holding back.

Things are different. And recently, Kara’s been looking at her like she’s seeing Lena for the first time.

“I took your advice,” Kara says excitedly, pulling out a manuscript from her bag. “They liked my pitch. They’re going to publish it and I get to produce a radio segment!”

“Kara!” Lena exclaims, getting up to pull Kara in for a hug. “That’s excellent. I’m so proud of you!”

Kara hugs her tight, lifting her off the ground and twirling her around.

“Thank you for believing in me,” Kara says in her hair. She lowers Lena but doesn’t let go.

The hug lasts longer than it should between platonic friends and Lena wills her heart to calm down. It’s particularly hard, when her senses are experiencing a Kara overload. Kara’s arms are on her lower back and Lena can distinctly feel her fingers splayed out through her thin dress shirt. The hold tightens and pulls Lena’s body flush against the other woman. Lena tangles the silky blond hairs between her fingers and buries her face in the crook of Kara’s neck.

Kara pulls away first, though still close enough that Lena can see the dusting of freckles on her nose. Her hands slide to Lena’s waist. Lena doesn’t miss the way her eyes flit to her lips for a split second. Kara opens her mouth to speak but the words don’t come out. She takes a deep breath and tries again.

“Lena—”

They jolt apart at the sound of a knock.

Lena straightens her dress and Kara’s hands move to her glasses. Jess, for her part, looks at Lena and then at Kara with narrowed eyes.

“I apologize, is now a bad time?” She asks Lena slowly.

Lena can still feel Kara’s fingertips burning on her waist. Kara’s face is flushed and she’s pointedly looking at everything else but Lena.

“I, uh, I was just about to head out,” Kara says quickly, grabbing her bag. “I’ll see you guys later.”

She’s out the door before Lena can say anything. 

-

The next night, Sara appears at her doorstep claiming she’s in need of some r&r on Lena’s bed. Lena rolls her eyes but opens the door nonetheless.

“Put your feet down,” Lena calls out from the kitchen, not looking up from the pot in front of her. Sara freezes with a chip halfway to her mouth.

“You sure you don’t have super powers?” She chides, taking her feet off the coffee table.

“No, I can just hear your large feet clanking on the glass.”

Sara chews loudly.

“I bet you let Kara put her feet up on the coffee table all the time,” Sara mumbles, chips flying everywhere.

She’s teasing and Lena, for once, doesn’t feel her chest clenching at the mention of Kara’s name. She smirks.

“What I let Kara do with her feet is none of your business,” Lena retorts. Sara laughs.

“Kinky,” Sara tells her, looking away from the large television. “Can I watch?”

Lena’s about to throw a dish towel at her face when her balcony door bursts open. She freezes, hand and towel up in the air. Sara is also frozen on the couch, chip hanging from her mouth.

Kara takes in the scene in front of her and frowns. Lena hasn’t seen her since that charged moment in her office. It takes her a minute, but Kara seems to remember what she came in for. She approaches Lena, cape flowing behind her, and Lena feels her stomach drop at the grim look on her face.

“It’s Lex,” Kara explains. “He’s escaped.”

 

 

 

_Boom goes the dynamite_

 

 

 

Despite her protests, Lena Luthor is promptly shoved in a bunker, deep in the bowels of the DEO headquarters. She’s not even given the dignity of changing into something more presentable, not when Kara whisks her away without so much a preamble. So here she is in a windowless bunker in her yoga pants and white t-shirt, left to her own devices, with two agents standing guard.

She paces for a good twenty minutes before collapsing on the bed.

Kara is somewhere out there, with Superman, Sara and her band of misfits, with Mon-El and J’onn. Lena, on the other hand, is hiding away like a coward while numerous people try to face her homicidal brother. She eyes the gun on the bedside table, something Alex gave her prior to rushing out.

 _“Aim and pull the trigger,”_ Alex’s voice floats in her head. _“Think you can do that, Luthor?”_

Lena swallows. She isn’t a fool, she knows what Alex is asking of her.

‘BOOM.’

A loud explosion above them rocks the bunker and Lena has to duck to avoid falling debris. There’s a small whirring noise from somewhere.

“Miss Luthor!” One of the agents gesture for her to follow, presumably to another hiding location.

Lena makes for the gun, just as the whirring noise gets louder and louder until it sounds like someone is driving a power drill right next to her head.

When a drill bit comes barreling through the ceiling, Lena realizes just how right she is. Shards of debris explode from the drill bit and Lena screams in pain when she feels something sharp and so, so warm lodge itself into her right eye.

The other agents are promptly shot dead and a figure jumps in front of her crumpled form. She feels for the gun and points it in a panic. Lena wishes her arms weren’t so shaky and her vision so red. Her heart is pounding.

_“Pull the trigger. Think you can do that, Luthor?”_

“Do it.”

Lena grits her teeth and wills herself to stop crying.

“Do it, Lena,” Lex dares her. “Shoot your own brother.”

“You’d do it to me in a heartbeat!” Lena yells back.

Lex tuts, crouching down and positioning the gun against his armored chest.

“I quite disagree with you, little sister,” He smirks. “I wouldn’t be so merciful.”

Lena feels a prick on her neck and everything quickly dissolves to black. 

-

“…Friends!”

Lena hears Lex before she sees him. When she tries to open her eyes, she finds her right one is sealed shut. Her left one adjusts after a second and she realizes the world is the wrong side up.

Lena shuts her eyes almost immediately. She almost laughs at the irony of it, finding herself hanging next to the large ‘L’ on the L-Corp building. Oh Lex, always the one for poetic justice.

“What a wonderful reunion,” Lex continues. Lena cranes her neck and sees the rope holding her up extends beyond the top of the taller half of the building and her brother dearest is somewhere off to the side, standing on the lower rooftop.

“I’d say it’s almost a family reunion, would you not, dear Kara?”

Lena can feel the blood rushing to her head. It’s too difficult to keep her eye open. The rest of her body hurts and it’s only now that she’s realizing how much shrapnel she took in during the drill bit attack.

“Except,” Lex continues. “It seems your adopted sibling is nowhere to be found. Mine is present.”

Her mind focuses on what Lex just said. Alex!

“Where is she?” Kara demands.

Lex laughs, walking closer to the balcony and looking at Lena.

“Tell me, Super cousins,” Lex asks. “Do you know how a pulley system works?”

“We don’t have time for your jokes, Lex,” Superman’s voice roars.

Lex laughs maniacally.

“Well then how are you going to figure out what’s preventing my little sister from plummeting to her death?”

Lena, Kara, and Clark seem to come to the realization at the same time. Alex is on the other end of the rope, on the other end of the building.

“Well, it’s been fun,” Lex yawns loudly. “But I have pressing matters to attend to.”

It all seems to happen in slow motion. Lex jumps and is caught by what appears to be a jet below. He zooms off as the distinct sounds of a small explosion and a rope snapping follow.

Reality catches up to her and Lena can very much feel herself plummeting to her death in real time. Before she finally passes out, she sees a blur of red and blue racing to get her. 

-

Lena opens her eyes slowly, blinking until the world comes into focus. She’s a little surprised she’s not dead, judging by the decidedly not heaven hospital room she’s in. What truly surprises her is the fact that she can read the nutritional facts on a soda can from the other side of the room.

A loose grip stops her when she moves to bring up her hand to touch her face.

There, in all her glory, is Kara Danvers. Lena’s sure Kara is drooling all over the sheets and the light snoring noises make her smile.

“Kara,” she says softly, suddenly struck with the pain of her incredibly dry throat. She closes her fists as a reflex and Kara jolts awake.

“Lena!” She half yells, half whispers, immediately moving to sit on the bed.

“Can I get water?” Lena doesn’t like how weak and hoarse her voice sounds. She sits up gingerly and takes the cup Kara offers her.

“I’m surprised I’m alive,” Lena jokes. She stops when she sees the look on Kara’s face. There are bags under Kara’s eyes and she looks twenty years older.

“Sorry,” Lena says sheepishly, bringing a hand up to rub her eye. Her hand stills when she makes contact with her right eye.

“We couldn’t save your eye,” Kara explains quietly, handing her a mirror.

Lena looks at the mirror with apprehension and takes it. Holding her breath, she brings it up and takes a good look at her eye. Her bionic eye.

“It’s your design,” Kara adds and Lena nods, eyes transfixed on the mirror. “Your technology, Lena. It works. It saved your life.”

Kara is looking at her in awe and Lena is overjoyed for a split second. The events of the attack suddenly come rushing back.

“How is everyone? Lex killed those agents in cold blood,” Lena closes her eyes shut. “And Alex...”

“Alex is fine,” Kara explains, taking Lena’s hand in hers. “She’s a little banged up but she’s got all original made in Midvale parts.”

Kara makes a face at what she just implied and Lena laughs a little.

“Everyone is okay,” She continues. “You took the worst of it.”

“And Lex?”

Kara lets go of Lena’s hand and leans back in her chair.

“Kara?”

“Lex escaped,” Kara finally says. “And we’ve had to move you twice while you were recuperating.”

Lena nods slowly, understanding what Kara isn’t saying directly. Her dearest brother has been trying to finish the job.

“I’m going to keep you safe, I promise you,” Kara swears to her with a look of conviction on her face.

After a beat, Lena shakes her head.

“You have a job to do,” Lena reminds her. “All of you. You have to protect the city. Protect Earth.”

“You’re part of this planet.”

Lena bites her lip, making up her mind.

“I have to leave, that’s the only way we can survive this.”

“What?” Kara asks with a disbelieving look on her face. “What are you talking about? You belong with me.”

Lena chooses to ignore the slip up. She chooses to ignore the big elephant in the room they’ve been skillfully avoiding the entire duration of their friendship.

There were more important things at stake, things much larger than the two of them.

“I have a plan,” Lena continues. “That should enable you to continue protecting this city and find Lex without having to worry about my safety.”

“Lena, there’s nowhere on Earth that is safe from your maniacal brother,” Kara argues. “Sorry.”

“Exactly,” Lena counters. Kara is confused, if her face is anything to go by.

“Nowhere on this Earth, in this exact time.”

The realization dawns on Kara’s face.

“You mean—”

“Where’s Sara?”


	2. Two

 

_The girl who ran away_

 

“What are you looking at, Snow?”

“Somewhere up there,” Lena starts, not looking away from the stars above. “Is Krypton.”

She’s lying on the bed of their getaway truck.

“Ain’t that where skirt is from?”

Lena laughs and turns her head to look. From the corner of her eye, she can see Mick Rory frowning in thought, arms crossed and leaning against a tree trunk.

“Yes, Rory,” She says, turning her attention back at the stars. “That’s where Kara is from.”

“She there right now?”

“She should be,” Lena smiles to herself. “Ten or eleven years old, give or take.”

Rory frowns even more.

“That’s weird,” He says. “All I can think of is the hot chick with the skirt who can see everyone’s bits.”

“Rory,” Lena warns.

“Oh get off ya high horse, Snow!” He argues. “You got the hots for her too.”

Lena scoffs.

“Hey, aren’t stars fireballs or something?”

“That is correct.”

“I like fire,” He says reverently. “You’ll never see the same flame twice, and it changes everything it touches. Like a catalyst.”

“Like you,” Lena adds with a soft smile, looking at him. Rory eyes here before the corner of his lip turns upward ever so slightly.

“Yeah,” He nods. “Like me.”

A rustling of leaves interrupts them. Rory immediately pushes of from the tree and aims his gun. Lena jumps off the truck bed and aims her own gun at the source.

Lena holds her breath.

“Found them—woah, hello to you too!”

Sara throws her hands up. Jax emerges from the trees behind her.

“Where the hell have you two been?” Rory snaps, lowering his gun. “You’re late!”

“Someone had too much fun interrogating one of the engineers,” Jax chides, brushing off the leaves and bumping into Sara. “With her tongue.”

“Shut up, Jax,” Sara hisses. “I’ll show you what I can do with a tongue and a knife alright.”

“Alright, children,” Lena says exasperatedly. She pinches the bridge of her nose. “Let’s not fight.”

“Let’s get the hell out of this dump,” Rory says. “I hate this decade.”

“Who’s there?” A man’s voice yells from somewhere in the trees. There’s ruffling and a small light coming from a flashlight. Lena looks over and sees Jax with his hand on his face, holding back a sneeze. Sara throws a threatening look his way.

Rory looks at Lena and nods his head towards the direction of the noise. Squinting, Lena focuses her bionic eye for anything. It’s dark for a second, before the distinct glint of metal catches her eye.

Lena lifts her own gun to communicate what she sees.

“Fuck,” Rory mouths.

“Where are they?” Another voice joins the first one. “Couldn’t have gone far on foot.”

“Where’s Brian with the dogs?”

It’s almost comical, how big Jax’s eyes get at the mention of attack dogs.

“Dogs?!” He hisses, taking his hands off his face.

He sneezes.

Sara and Lena immediately clamp on his mouth, but it’s too late.

"THERE!” One of the voice yells, coming towards their direction. On cue, the sound of dogs barking from somewhere in the distance reaches them.

“Run, fuckers!” Sara, their fearless captain, hisses as she runs past them, making for the truck bed.

“I told you we should have met up at a different place!” Rory grunts, jumping into the driver’s seat.

“Because a bar would have been more inconspicuous,” Sara argues.

“And the side of a road is any better?” Lena says in between breaths, jumping up on the truck bed and pulling her gun out.

“What were your exact words?” Jax grits out, slamming the passenger door.

“And I quote, ‘It’s so stupid, no one would actually do it,’” Lena responds with air quotes.

“Jax, shut up,” Sara turns to Lena. “Lena, you’re supposed to be on my side.”

“Stop right there!”

Lena sees the outline of the first officer before she sees the dogs jumping out of the bushes.

“Go! Go! You idiot!” Sara slams on the truck cab.

Rory slams on the gas, throwing Lena and Sara face down on the truck bed. They both hiss and struggle to sit up. Through the dust rising behind them, Lena sees several police officers and dogs. They eventually become little dots in the distance.

“That’s for calling me an idiot!” Rory calls out from the truck cab. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

-

Skylab—the United States’ first of many space stations—successfully launches into low earth orbit on May 14, 1973. Unbeknownst to many, a ragtag gang of misfits calling themselves ‘the Legends’ foiled a plan to detonate an explosion mid-launch.

Lena still can’t believe it, but the future of space exploration is safe, all thanks to the fools around her in the timeship. She smiles.

“Alright,” Sara calls from the captain’s chair, hand on the controls. “Off we go.”

Lena clutches on to her harness tight, watching as the others prepare for Sara’s unanimously declared terrible piloting. Sara’s terrible driving and the Legends bickering like children—this, in addition to the occasional life threatening situation, has been Lena’s life for almost a year. She smiles and looks out the Waverider’s window.

As they lift off the ground, Lena wonders if Kara is watching a sunset of her own back in Krypton.

-

“Good!” Sara says, rubbing the spot where Lena managed to land a hit. “That hurts like a bitch.”

Lena flexes her fingers and watches Sara crack her knuckles.

“You’re so much better now,” She notes. “You couldn’t even form a fist properly when we first started. Who punches with their thumb inside their fist?”

“You’re never going to let that go, are you?” Lena laughs, throwing another punch that Sara easily evades.

“Nope,” Sara jumps back. “I can’t wait until I can tell Kara about it. She’ll laugh her ass off.”

At the mention of the name, Sara watches Lena deflate.

“You know,” Sara sighs.

Lena turns around and starts unwrapping the tape from her hands.

“I don’t.”

“You’re a good person, Lena,” Sara ignores her.

“I feel like there’s a ‘but’ in there.”

“No buts,” Sara drags out. “Stop beating yourself up for leaving. You didn’t have a choice. She understands why you did it.”

Lena doesn’t say anything. She just continues to unwrap her hands. When the tape gets stuck, she lets out a curse word.

“Swearing and throwing punches,” Sara tuts. “One might say you’re a little, uh, frustrated. Gotta let some steam out. Lots of ladies where we’re headed next.”

Sara winks and Lena rolls her eyes.

“Aren’t you glad we decided to stop sleeping with each other?” Sara continues to prod, taking off her own hand wraps. Lena has made it abundantly clear that this training session is over.

“You came up with the idea,” Lena reminds her.

“I wanted us to be real friends!” Sara explains. “Because when you inevitably fall in love with me, then we’re screwed.”

She laughs, smugness on her face as she lifts her eyebrows suggestively.

Lena looks at her thoughtfully.

“Or, you know,” Sara says quietly. “In case the opposite were to happen, which it would never—”

“Would it be so bad if it did?” Lena finds herself asking out of curiosity. Sara stops midsentence and looks at her. It’s not pity at Lena. No. Lena can’t quite pinpoint it.

“No, it wouldn’t be,” Sara responds. She leans closer to Lena, stopping a few inches away, close enough that Lena can feel her breath. “But I don’t think I’d be able to handle it if you weren’t completely mine.”

She bops Lena’s nose with a hand and cackles while walking out of the training room, leaving a disgruntled Luthor with half rolled hand wraps in her hands. 

-

Lena puts her hands behind her head and eyes the picture taped on the wall by her bed. Her room in the Waverider is sparsely decorated, fitting of someone in a state of transience.

One year. Sara acquiesced to her staying with the Legends for one year, while Kara and crew worked on taking down her maniacal brother. She remembers Sara’s words clearly, that her life has too much of an impact on the natural course of history for her to be away for too long.

 _"Removing you from your timeline indefinitely will have serious consequences,”_ is what Sara said, solemn and cryptic. _“The earlier you go home, the better.”_

Lena sighs. As far as the world is concerned, Lena Luthor has taken a leaf from her mentor’s (she refuses to call Cat Grant that, but the media has other ideas) book and is on a one year sabbatical at some undisclosed location.

She’s experienced a lifetime’s worth of adventures in the year—swimming in Alpine lakes, watching the Wright brothers’ first flight, seeing gladiators fight in the colosseum—and she’s found great friends in the Legends. But home is always on her mind.

Jess has been running L-Corp for a year now, no doubt loyally following the agenda she worked on with Lena, prior to the latter’s rushed departure. She wonders if Eliza has made anymore breakthroughs with their bionics project, if her friends are still finding time to have game nights amidst the manhunt. She wonders if Kara is taking care of herself.

Quietly, she wonders if Kara misses her as much as Lena misses her. 

-

“Uh…” Lena starts, taking in the scene before her. Ray Palmer is leaning back in his chair with a cold pack on his face, Rory is holding back laughter, and Jax is happily eating and minding his own business.

“He saw Ray trip and fall flat on his face,” Jax supplies, pulling up a chair for Lena.

“It was amazing, Snow,” Rory says, shaking his head and laughing.

“Ihrm fate chu,” mumbles Ray from under the cold pack.

A chorus of communicators sound and Lena looks down at hers. Her brow furrows.

“Sara wants us in the cockpit,” She says, getting up slowly.

-

 _"Lena,”_ Winn’s voice filters in through the speakers. _“Lex Luthor is dead.”_

Lena stays behind as she rounds the corner and sees Sara leaning against the console. The others approach closer, but Lena’ feet stay rooted on the floor.

_“The US government shot down his chopper in the Ukraine, where he was brokering an arms deal. They have a body, but they need your DNA to confirm it.”_

She feels eyes on her but Lena keeps a cool head. She clenches her fist and focuses on Winn’s voice, something she hasn’t heard in a year—a reminder of home.

_“Lena, it’s time for you to come home.”_

“It’s a trap,” Sara says as soon as the transmission ends. They all turn and look at Lena. “We can’t trust this transmission and our lines have clearly been compromised.”

Lena turns on her heel, not bothering to listen to the rest of Sara’s argument.

“Lena, wait!”

Lena ignores her. She makes it to her room and starts throwing her things into her bag.

“What are you doing?” Sara asks, moving in front of her. “Lena.”

“I’m done running, Sara,” She says to her resolutely. She sees Sara distractedly grab one of her bras.

“I don’t want to be a party pooper, but maybe we should take a breather.” Sara counters. “What’s the point of the past year if gets to you?”

Lena shakes her head.

“And how do you propose we verify the transmission?” She explains. “We don’t trust any of the communication lines and we don’t have another way to communicate to the DEO.”

Sara looks like she’s about to protest.

“And even if it’s a trap, he won’t get to me,” Lena reasons, grabbing the bra back from Sara’s hands. “I can handle myself. You’ve taught me as much.”

Sara frowns. She sighs and grabs the bra back from Lena. Before Lena can say anything, Sara grabs another bag and starts stuffing it with Lena’s clothes.

“Fine,” Sara acquiesces. “This is a dumb idea, but at least it’s not my dumb idea. We’re not going in without a plan.”

 

 

_There’s no place like home._

 

 

“I hate flying,” Lena mutters, unbuckling her seatbelt as the private jet lands.

“Really? My piloting didn’t make it go away?” Sara asks.

Rory snorts from somewhere behind them and Sara turns to give him a glare.

“No,” Lena deadpans. “You made it worse.”

Sara protests indignantly and Ray reminds her through their comms about the motion sickness incident in Babylon. Sara shuts up and crosses her arms, muttering under her breath.

Lena gets up as soon as the cabin door is opened. She puts on her coat and gathers her purse, almost feeling uncomfortable as she slips on what feels like a different skin. It’s been a year since she’s had to play this part. She has to remind herself this is her real life, not the other way around.

Rory nods, dressed as her bodyguard. Jax emerges from the cockpit as her pilot. And Sara clings on to Lena’s arm, playing the part of her European squeeze. She’s really hamming it up, thoroughly enjoying the annoyed look on Lena’s face. The rest of the team is undercover, keeping an eye on the perimeter. In danger of compromised communication lines, the Legends are operating without the support of the DEO. In fact, no one is aware that Lena Luthor is making her grand return to National City.

They step out of the plane and Lena steels herself. A year of dreaming about home and here she is.

“Miss Luthor,” Ray Palmer welcomes her as she climbs into the helicopter. She gives him a small smile and Sara gives an exaggerated wink.

Lena looks out the window, quietly musing to herself as National City rises from the horizon. She smiles to herself, only now realizing just how much she considers not just the people in it but the city itself her home. She eyes the L-Corp building as they approach, remembering the feeling of hanging upside down while her maniacal brother laughed.

“Damn Snow,” Rory’s voice comes through the headphones. Lena looks over at him. “Your name is on a building?”

“Back off,” Sara says with all seriousness, cozying up against Lena, who rolls her eyes. “She’s mine.”

“Welcoming party at three o’clock,” Ray notes.

Lena looks back out and sees them—Alex and Jess are standing on the roof, eyeing the chopper. Alex is keeping her impassive hands on the hips pose, while Jess waves at their general direction with a large smile. Lena can’t help but let her eyes wander, hoping that Supergirl is somewhere nearby.

When she steps out of the chopper, the bone crushing hug Jess envelops her in surprises her. Alex steps into her space next.

“Next time you decide to send the paparazzi on a wild goose chase because you return unannounced, let me know,” Alex chastises with a raised eyebrow.

“Where’s the fun in that?” Lena challenges with a smirk. Alex stares her down and Lena gives an innocent smile. Alex breaks first, opening her arms to pull her in for a hug.

"Welcome home, Luthor,” Alex says.

“It’s good to be home,” She responds quietly.

-

“Kara is in the Ukraine,” Alex lets her know when she notices Lena’s wandering eyes. “The president requested for her help in sifting through the wreckage.”

Lena nods, containing her disappointment.

“I’ve never seen Kara like that. She was obsessed,” Alex continues quietly. “She had a singular focus, which was finding Lex.”

Lena looks at her with a surprised face.

“All she cared about was getting you home,” Alex says with a serious voice.

“I’m here now,” Lena responds with a smile, but Alex’s expression doesn’t lighten.

“Listen, Lena,” Alex starts slowly. “Kara did some things…she’s not proud of. You should know—”

Her expression changes when she notices something behind Lena.

“Hey, put that down!” Alex yells at Jax. She walks over to him, leaving Lena behind.

They’re in the DEO headquarters for debrief. Alex is about to pop a vein as the Legends wreak their organized chaos like they’re wont to do anywhere they go.

“She’s hot,” Rory leans in next to Sara, who sideyes Alex.

“Yep, she’s hot,” Sara confirms with a straight face and Lena rolls her eyes.

“Jesus,” Alex mutters as she wanders back to where Lena is standing. She turns to Sara. “How do you keep all these people in check?”

“She doesn’t,” Lena explains.

“Hey!” Sara protests indignantly.

“Anyway,” Alex continues, looking at Lena. She understands the meaning: their earlier conversation is tabled for now. “If you’ll follow me, we need your DNA sample.” 

-

Her DNA confirms it. The remains they found in the wreckage is indeed Lex Luthor. Lena can’t seem to shake her suspicions, so she requests her brother’s dental records be examined and an x-ray be performed.

It hits her then, as she’s listing the number of broken bones she knows her brother has sustained throughout her lifetime (a broken right middle finger from catching a baseball in high school; a broken collarbone from a skiing accident, when he caught up with Lena to prevent her from careening into a tree; and a clean cut to his right forearm, in the scuffle that ensued when Superman thwarted his last attempt at mass murder), that her brother is dead.

She feels like she’s going to vomit. She quickly finishes the list and requests she be allowed to go home. When she emerges from the briefing room, she finds the Legends congregating on the balcony.

“We also have a problem,” Sara starts.

“The Legion of Doom—”

“Which is a stupid, made-up name,” Sara argues, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes. Ray ignores her.

“The Legion of Doom,” Ray continues, emphasizing the word doom. “Traced the spear of destiny to an exact location and time.”

“What?” Lena gapes.

The Spear of Destiny is the mythical spear that gained powers after being used to stab Jesus on the crucifix. It changes time and reality. Time, the Legends can fix. Reality? That’s forever.

“Well, I don’t suppose it helps that we’re standing around here. We should head back to the—” Lena stops herself. She clears her throat. “You all should head back to the Waverider.”

Rory has an oddly proud smile on his face.

“You sure you don’t want to ditch this dump and come with us, Snow?” Rory asks. “You can have Palmer’s seat. Don’t need two bajillionaire smartasses.”

"Hey,” Ray turns to him.

Lena smiles a sad smile. She’s racking up her losses today.

“You guys,” Lena starts. “You know what Sara said.”

“Yeah,” Sara agrees, pushing off from the balcony. “Not to inflate your head, but you’re kind of important to the natural course of history. You have to stay.”

Rory sighs.

“I guess, this is goodbye,” Lena says it for them. She squeaks when Jax pulls her into a tight hug.

“Bye Lena,” Ray offers a hand, which Lena shakes.

The other Legends says their goodbyes, heading towards the door.

Rory puts his hand out and pats her on the head. Lena tries to keep a straight face.

“Like fire, yeah? You and me,” He says with a lopsided smile. “Hey, go get your girl.”

Lena shoves him away at that. She’s left with Sara Lance.

“You’ll see me again, don’t worry,” Sara winks.

“I appreciate the warning,” Lena deadpans. Sara laughs and pulls her in for a one-armed hug.

“Take care of yourself,” Sara whispers. “And get your head out of your ass. You deserve to be loved.”

Lena pulls away, looking at her with disbelief. Sara laughs and starts walking away. She makes a phone symbol.

“Call me if you ever need a good fuck.”

Lena rolls her eyes as Sara walks back in. Her laughter trails behind her until it fades, leaving Lena alone in the quiet balcony.

-

After a year of ruckus, her apartment is eerily quiet. She feels like a stranger in her own home, the clean and crisp lines seeming foreign and cold. She lasts about five minutes before she throws on a cap and a hoodie and heads out the door. 

-

The smell of salt water hits her nose immediately and Lena smiles. She heads toward her sailboat and worries about the state of disrepair from a year of neglect.

She’s wrong.

If anything, her boat is in better condition than when she left it. The sails have been upgraded and the deck is meticulously clean. She heads below the deck and finds a copy of ‘Log From the Sea of Cortez’ and a vase of fresh plumerias on the table. When she comes up to the deck, she spots Supergirl flying towards her.

Lena’s heart is pounding and she’s sure Kara can tell. She’s thought of this moment countless times and she has to tell herself to calm down. When Kara stops and hovers over the water, on the other side of the railing, Lena feels her feet bring her closer of their own accord. She grips the railing, afraid of what she’ll do with her hands otherwise.

“Kara,” Lena says, almost reverently.

“Welcome home,” Kara responds rather stiffly. “I just got back from the Ukraine.”

Lena nods, hoping her disappointment at the distant welcome isn’t too obvious.

“You must be exhausted,” Lena notes Kara’s tired eyes.

“I could say the same for you,” Kara counters, placing her hands on the railing, an inch away from Lena’s own.

“Kara—”

“You should get some sleep,” Kara notes, reaching out to tuck an errant strand of hair.

“I couldn’t,” Lena admits sheepishly. “My place is too quiet and my brain is too loud.”

“I can keep you company, if you’d like,” Kara asks, shyness coming through. She holds out a hand.

Lena smiles, stepping up the ledge and over the railing. Between the two of them, Kara is the one who looks a little apprehensive. Lena just shrugs and takes Kara’s hand, wholly trusting the other woman.

“Up, up and away?” Lena asks. Kara laughs. 

-

Lena spends her first night back eating takeout and watching Dumbo with Kara. They don’t talk about the year they spent apart, nothing about Lena’s adventures nor Kara’s search for Lex Luthor. And Lena pretends to not notice that while they’re sitting on the same couch, it feels like there is an ocean between them.

When Lena starts crying quietly while Dumbo’s mom cradles him in her trunk from behind bars and rocks him to sleep, Kara doesn’t say anything. She just takes Lena’s hand and cradles it in hers.

Lena doesn’t talk about feeling like a little girl again, crying because her big brother is leaving for summer school. She’s lost the last of her family and she doesn’t even know if she’s allowed to be sad about it. She just cries and cries, hugging a throw pillow tightly.

Eventually, the tears subside and Lena gives in to sleep. She faintly remembers strong arms laying her down on the bed. When she wakes with the rising sun, Lena wanders into Kara’s kitchen and finds Kara already awake, making them breakfast.

“Thank you,” She says quietly, taking the mug being offered to her. For what, she can’t even say.

“Don’t mention it,” Kara says with a small smile.

 

_Her heart sings a simple song, it sounds a lot like yours_

 

“Kevin,” Lena nods towards a reporter two rows in front of Kara. He stands up, notepad in hand.

“How was your sabbatical, Miss Luthor?”

“Life changing,” Lena notes. “Not to be dramatic.”

The crowd laughs. Lena takes a sip of water, eyes roaming around the press conference.

“And will we see some this manifest itself in L-Corp technologies?”

“Most certainly,” Lena notes. “L-Corp is founded on the principle of creating technologies to help usher in a brighter future for all of us. You’ll see that in a few advancements in some of our key businesses, particularly in aeronautics, biotechnology, and renewable energy.”

“Miss Luthor—”

The next reporter is cut off by screams. Lena turns and sees a man rushing the stage with a knife. On instinct, she acts. She sidesteps and disarms the man, flipping him on his back and pinning him to the ground.

Her security detail rushes to contain him. Lena steps back and straightens her dress.

The room is silent.

When she looks up, she doesn’t even notice the disbelief on people’s faces. All she sees is the mixture of awe and worry on Kara’s.

- 

 _“My goodness, you sure know how to make an entrance,”_ Cat’s voice rings in her earpiece.

Lena looks out the window of her office.

“I was never one to rest on my laurels,” Lena notes. “Although blame it on my luck, winning the angry-white-nationalist-looking-for-a-billionaire-philanthropist-to-make-an-example-out-of lottery. The FBI told me he quite literally picked the first name he saw in a Google search.”

 _“It’s a shame Ronald Drumpf’s name wasn’t first,”_ Cat says with disdain. _“Although I suppose he would have to be both a billionaire and a philanthropist.”_

“I wonder what he’ll say when he finds out he wasn’t included in the search results. You can’t exactly sue a search engine algorithm.”

_“Well, I’m glad no harm came to you. God knows what that kind of stress does to one’s skin.”_

Lena laughs.

“…Thank you?”

Her office door opens and her new assistant appears.

“I’m afraid I’ll have to call you back later,” Lena speaks into her Bluetooth.

 _“If you must,”_ Cat sighs dramatically. _“Take care of yourself, little Luthor.”_

Lena feels a little warmth in her chest. Cat called her not five minutes after news broke about the assassination attempt.

“You too.”

She walks back to her desk and takes her Bluetooth off. When she looks up to address her assistant, she’s surprised to see Kara next to her. Lena hasn’t gotten the chance to talk to her in the flurry of the morning, especially with her being ushered off the stage and into protective custody.

Her assistant leaves and closes the double doors and the tension in the room is palpable.

“Lena,” Kara says like she’s been holding her breath up until this moment.

“Kara,” Lena replies. She fidgets under Kara’s intense gaze and says the first thing to comes to mind. “Do you want some water?”

Kara lets out a watery laugh. She shakes her head and Lena suddenly finds herself engulfed in Kara’s strong arms. It takes her a minute, but she loops her own arms around Kara. She feels herself sag, not even realizing how tightly wound her body has been.

“You’re okay,” Kara whispers. Lena nods, burying her face in Kara’s neck.

Kara pulls back and looks at her intently. Lena notices the tears rimming Kara’s eyes and she frowns. When she reaches out to brush the unshed tears, Kara leans in to her touch.  

“Please don’t cry. I’m okay. It wasn’t a big deal.”   

Kara’s expression darkens so quickly, it takes Lena by surprise.                                                                                                

“It is a big deal,” Kara says with conviction. “Don’t say things like that. I was ready to reveal myself to the world save you. Because I don’t want to find out what life is like without you.”

Lena feels a warm fluttering in her chest. She opens her mouth to argue.

“Kara…”

“Lena,” Kara cuts her off. “On Krypton, we were paired with a lifelong partner. We weren’t presented with a choice. And we didn’t have all this uncertainty. But with you.”

Kara pulls away and takes a few steps back.

“I know you don’t feel the same way. I remember.”

That surprises Lena. She remembers the night clearly—Kara’s birthday party at Alex’s apartment, where Kara had a little too much to drink.

“I thought you don’t remember that night?” She says. It’s been years and Kara has never, ever brought it up.

Kara shrugs and sits on the couch. She looks so small.

“I remember the important parts,” Kara puts her face in her hands. “I remember kissing you and you telling me it would be best if I went to sleep.”

Lena tries to move but she’s rooted in her spot.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” She says quietly.

When Kara looks up at her, Lena feels her heart break just a little.

“Why would I?” Kara says with a sad smile. “I got the message. Loud and clear.”

Lena subtly shakes her head but Kara isn’t looking at her. Kara frowns and holds her hands together.

“I just swept it under the rug,” Kara tells her quietly. “You could’ve cut me off from your life and you didn’t. I don’t think I would’ve survived that.”

“And Mon-El?” Lena asks defensively, remembering when she thought she’d missed her chance with Kara.

Kara laughs to herself.

“Mon-El was safe. He was a nice distraction. And I knew when it eventually ended, I could handle that.”

This time, when Kara looks up at her, she looks up reverently. There’s a slight blush on her cheeks and her eyes are soft with affection.

“But you…I’ve never felt this way about anyone. This all-consuming thing. It’s scary.”

It takes Lena a short three steps to get in front of Kara. She kneels and looks her in the eye.

“Kara, I’m sorry,” She tells her. “I kept you at arm’s length because I was protecting myself. My life has been punctuated by lies and broken trust. And you kept me in the dark about your identity…I didn’t think you were ever going to tell me about it if I hadn’t found out by mistake.”

Kara frowns.

“I was terrified you wouldn’t accept me,” She explains.

Lena shakes her head.

“I was raised in a hateful house,” She says slowly, choosing her words carefully. “Those prejudices run deep, but I was willing to try for you. I have tried for you. And I’m grateful to have seen the light.”

Lena leans closer to make her point.

“But know I would never abandon you or hurt you on purpose.”

Kara looks even smaller. She pulls her hands away and hugs herself.

“You picked Sara’s protection over mine,” She says. “When I saw you with her, I realized she could give you things I couldn’t.”

Lena frowns. She pleads with Kara to look at her.

“I meant what I said when I left,” She says vehemently. “I wasn’t picking her over you. I didn’t want you to forego everybody else for me.”

Kara stands up so quickly, Lena almost falls over. She walks away, towards the balcony. For a second, Lena is afraid she’s going to fly away.

“But I did!” Kara says. “Someone died because all I cared about was bringing you home!”

Lena’s speechless. Alex tried to warn her, but she isn’t prepared for this. Kara hugs herself and looks out the window.

“Someone died,” Kara continues. “Because I had it in my head that finding Lex…I could do one thing for you.”

She looks up at Lena.

“And I didn’t even accomplish that,” Kara says, voice barely above a whisper.

A moment of silence passes. Lena watches as Kara shakes herself out of a reverie. She gives Lena a small smile.

“You’re home. And safe. So please. Don’t make it sound like your life isn’t worth it. That you are insignificant.”

Lena takes a deep breath. She watches Kara and can hardly believe this is the same seemingly infallible superhero. But that’s the thing. Everyone forgets: while Supergirl presents a façade of invincibility, Kara Zor-El hurts. She cares deeply and, because of that, she hurts deeply. Kara feels every loss with every fiber of her being. Beneath the veneer of happiness and normalness is the gnawing feeling of loneliness she can’t seem to escape. Kara has been abandoned and hurt by almost every important person in her life, Lena included.

The realization hits her like a ton of bricks.

She walks over and takes Kara’s hands in her hands. She opens her mouth and is wholly unprepared for the floodgates opening.

“Kara,” Lena starts softly. “I want you to listen to me. Sleeping with Sara was easy. Sex has always been easy. But you…I haven’t got a clue. I just learned how to have a family. Having people care about me? Sometimes I still have to pinch myself. And then I fell in love with you and realized I was severely unequipped to do so.”

Lena gives a self-deprecating laugh.

“I have to confess, I don’t know how to love,” Lena continues. “You are kind and brilliant and you look at me like I’m good. And worthy of your friendship. It’s not something I’ve ever had to deal with. I thought I was doing what was best for you.”

Kara looks at her patiently, waiting for her to finish.

“I tried to be content with being friends with you when it seemed like I’d missed my chance. But I couldn’t even handle being in the same room as you and Mon-El for three hours. I fled the country.”

Hesitantly, Lena cradles Kara’s cheek with her hand.

“I thought about you every day while I was gone,” Lena says in earnest. “I hope you understand you are the single most important person in my life. I’m sorry I made you doubt that but I will do everything in my power to make up for it.”

Lena traces Kara’s lower lip with her thumb and leans in.

“I don’t have much to give but you don’t have to earn my love. It’s always been yours. I think I loved you before I even recognized it for what it was.”

This time, Lena kisses her. She pulls Kara close, presses her body, threads her fingers through blonde hair, and honest to god kisses her. She feels lightheaded and dizzy, her senses overcome with all things Kara. When Kara overcomes the initial shock and kisses her back, Lena swears she can see stars.

-

Later that night, they curl up on Lena’s bed and speak softly. They’re both still in their work clothes and Kara tentatively threads her fingers through Lena’s hair.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Lena asks her, leaning closer to look at Kara in the eye.

Kara doesn’t say anything for a few moments.

“I want to,” Kara says slowly. “I just don’t know where to start.”

“What was his name?” Lena asks tentatively.

“Oscar Lopez,” Kara tells her quietly. “He worked for the NCPD. Two children—Cristina and Tony.”

Kara wavers. Lena reaches out to tuck her hair.

“Lex had set up a trap and we fell for it,” Kara starts again. “When we realized it, I left to apprehend Lex and Officer Lopez and his team stayed in that warehouse to find the hostages. They all made it out, thanks to him.”

Kara stops talking. She takes a deep breath.

“Lex escaped and Oscar Lopez didn’t make it out of the warehouse before the explosion. He died because I was selfish. I promised to protect this city and I failed.”

“Kara,” Lena says with conviction, taking Kara’s face into her hands. “You couldn’t have known.”

Kara shakes her head, eyes tearing up.

“Lena, it’s all my fault,” Kara cries out. Lena frowns and pulls her close. She kisses Kara’s head as Kara cries into her shoulder.

After a while, Kara’s tears subside. They’re quiet for so long, Lena’s convinced Kara’s asleep. Her own eyes are about to close when Kara speaks up again.

“Were you afraid?” Kara asks in the quiet.

“I was,” Lena tells her, curling her fingers around Kara’s. “But my curiosity outweighed the fear.”

“The sun was so red while it set over Thebes, making the Nile look like a river of rubies. I couldn’t tell where the sky ended and where the earth began. And Halley’s Comet, Kara, it was so beautiful. It looked like a fireball, with a thousand sparkling fireflies trailing behind it.”

Kara inches closer and smiles, urging her to continue.

“Once, there was a monsoon in the Hunan Province and it stopped for a few hours, long enough for me to see the sun rise through the fog in the Tianzi Mountains.”

Lena closes her eyes.

“I’ve never heard silence like that. I felt like I was the only person on the planet.”

“I wish I could’ve been there with you,” Kara says sadly.

“You were,” Lena leans over Kara. “I used to play this game, where I would lie on my back and try to find Krypton. I’d look at the stars and think of you.”

She traces Kara’s lower lip with her thumb

“I carried you with me everywhere I went. I was never without you.”

 

_Little by little, inch by inch, we built a yard with a garden in the middle of it_

 

Being loved by Kara is like waking up to the first sunny day after a particularly hard winter. Lena breathes deep and lets it fill her lungs. She foregoes the sunglasses and lets the sun blind her. And she cradles it to her chest, unsure of how to handle it but certain it is the most precious thing she’ll ever be gifted in her life.

They take it slow.

Lena relearns how to live the life she left for a year. She takes the reins as CEO again, relieving a very grateful Jess, who (despite doing an excellent job) is glad to refocus her energy on research and development. After a long stare down and negotiations rivaling Luthor Corp’s previous mergers and acquisitions, Jess relents to taking a much earned vacation. Lena takes her badge and kicks her out, giving her keys to a vacation home in Italy.

Lena also reintegrates herself back into the fabric of her friends’ lives. She tentatively rebuilds relationships with everyone, first afraid they would turn their back on her after all the havoc her brother has caused in her absence. She’s proven wrong almost immediately. The first Saturday after her return, her plans are derailed when her gaggle of friends show up with food and claim to be in dire need of her 120” Vizio Smart TV. She laughs and opens her door wider. Kara is the last to trail in, giving her a shy kiss and taking her hand.

And on days when Lena feels a sudden hole in her chest for the ragtag gang of Legends, she reads her history books and remembers.

Kara also begins her own journey towards healing. A year spent on an obsessive manhunt has left her worn and ragged, and Lena coaxes her into taking some time for herself. Kara recalibrates and focuses her energy on her journalism career, which she previously shelved in favor of tracking leads around the world to apprehend Lex Luthor. She starts going to yoga with Alex and Maggie and grows a modestly sized garden at the communal garden a block from her apartment.

She finds Oscar Lopez’s mother and offers to help around the house. She mows the lawn, repairs things here and there, and brings groceries. When Oscar’s children tug at her shirt and ask her to play pretend superheroes with them, Kara nods quietly and pretends something in her eye is causing her to tear up.

Lena watches her work a little bit harder, going the extra mile when it comes to protecting the people of National City. Kara carries the death of Officer Lopez on her back like Atlas with the world, and she uses it to power her crusade for good. Supergirl is in attendance at the memorial for the fallen hero. When the Police Superintendent announces an anonymous donor has set up college funds for Cristina and Tony Lopez, Lena keeps her face nonplussed as Kara eyes her heavily from across the room.

Most importantly, Lena and Kara learn how to be with each other. They learn to forgive each other. They learn to forgive themselves. It’s slow and sometimes painful, but having the chance to wake up next to Kara makes it all worth it for Lena. 

- 

Lazy Sundays become Lena’s favorite. Her Sunday best is a worn Midvale High tee and a snuggled up Kara. They linger in bed and talk about nothing in particular and they watch the sunrise from their bedroom balcony. They eat breakfast, until fingers slide up thighs and scantily clad torsos. If they’re up for it, they head to the docks and eat lunch on the boat.

Sunday, simply put, is the day Lena Luthor and Kara Zor-El can be their truest selves, away from the world and in the comfort of their home.

“Sometimes, I can smell my mother’s perfume.”

Lena hums. Kara’s head is on her shoulder and her fingers are playing with long blonde hair. The two of them are basking in the sun on the sailboat.

“Walking down the street, or sitting at my desk…I’ll get a faint whiff of it for the briefest of moments. I close my eyes and it’s like I’m back in Krypton, watching her get ready for her day.”

Moments like these are gold, moments when Kara tells her about the life she once had, a life she holds so close to her chest, a life only she has any recollection of. Lena collects these and fills her pockets with the nuggets of gold. They make her feel richer than all the money she has to her name.

She listens with rapt attention and asks, knowing Kara cherishes sharing the whole world that now only exists within her. She can’t even imagine what it’s like, being the last child of Krypton. How does Kara live with all these memories while everyone else around her carries on like the great loss she experienced never occurred? When only she can hear thousands of voices crying out in despair only to be silenced in death? Lena can never know, but all she can do is focus on lightening the burden, even for a little bit.

After one too many bad days, when Kara comes home furious as a hurricane, Lena builds a training room with panels that mimic the red sun—Kara’s own Fortress of Solitude. On days when Kara is dejected and desolate, when the sun hides behind dark storm clouds, Lena crawls under the covers and pulls Kara close, holding her until the shaking stops. On the rare occasion that Supergirl gets injured, Lena sits next to the sun bed, pulls up Kara’s favorite TV shows, and kisses the cuts and bruises away. And when Kara opens up to her, when she starts reminiscing and gets that faraway look in her eyes, Lena drops everything and pays attention.

“Did she ever let you come with her to work?” Lena asks softly.

“She did,” Kara smiles softly, drawing Kryptonian letters on Lena’s bare stomach. “I had to be quiet as a church mouse…but I always watched with awe. Father took me on his trips more often. I saw so many planets with him.”

Lena pulls her closer.

“I was to go to guild school, the next year. It was almost certain I would join the science guild. But, part of me wanted to join my mother. Maybe take the mantle.”

Kara grows silent.

“I wanted to make her proud of me.”

“I’m sure she is,” Lena says quietly. “You are amazing.”

Kara leans up on her elbows and looks down at Lena.

“I used to worship the ground my parents walked on, and I clung on to that when I got here. It got me through being all alone in a strange world, knowing that my parents were good and I had to live life to make them proud.”

Kara looks up at the birds flying overhead.

“I was crushed. When I realized what my parents did, when I found out they weren’t as good as I thought they were…It hurt more than them abandoning me.”

She looks back down at Lena and smiles.

“But I think I understand now,” She elaborates. “I understand how grey morality can be. ‘Doing the right thing’ carries a different meaning, depending on the individual and the situation.”

“I suppose it’s one of those things you learn as you grow up,” Lena says.

“The more I grow older, the more I realize that I don’t know anything at all,” Kara comments, reaching down to touch Lena’s face.

She smiles.

“All I know, is that I love you,” She says, leaning in. “And I believe we would have found our way to each other eventually.”

“Time and space can’t keep me from you,” Lena gives her an exaggerated wink and Kara slaps her arm playfully. She laughs, pulling Kara down to her.

“I mean it,” Lena whispers.

“Let’s hope you never lose me in the first place,” Kara says, closing the gap between them. 

-

“Thank you for saving me,” Kara whispers in the dark.

Lena, in her sleep addled state, reaches an arm and pulls her close.

“You saved yourself.” 

-

Lena hears a gust of wind and the balcony door sliding close.

“Lena?”

“In here!” Lena calls out from the bathroom.

“I brought you—”

Lena turns when she hears the sound of something falling to the floor. She sees Kara in her Supersuit, feet surrounded by a bouquet of flowers. Lena turns her body fully, leaning innocently against the sink. She can never get over how fun it can be to fluster Kara, especially when she’s dressed as the girl of steel.

“I, uh,” Kara tries again, very obviously raking her eyes down Lena’s body.

Truth be told, this isn’t planned. Lena is in the middle of getting ready for National City’s Annual Benefit Gala. She’s almost done. Her hair, makeup, lingerie, jewelry, and heels are all ready to go.

All that is missing is her dress.

“You were saying?” Lena chides.

“I was saying something?” Kara spits out with a flushed face. She lets out a breath and fans her face. “Boy, is the heater on? It’s hotter than Rao in here.”

Lena laughs and turns back to the mirror to finish applying her lipstick.

“I’m almost done, dear,” She says. She gestures to Kara’s half of the walk in closet. “Aren’t you going to get ready?”

Lena is surprised when Kara’s strong arms wrap around her and pull her flush against a hard and toned body. She shivers when she feels Kara tracing her neck with her nose. It seems her girlfriend has recovered with newfound confidence.

“We’re going to be late,” Lena says weakly, gasping when she feels the edge of the counter hit her hip bone. Kara looks up then, chin resting on her bare shoulder. Lena visibly swallows when their eyes meet in the mirror.

“No we won’t,” She says with a predatory grin.

Lena watches herself get thoroughly fucked in the mirror, never once breaking eye contact with Kara. She’s careful not to mess up Lena’s hair or make up, but does what she does between Lena’s legs with reckless abandon.

Kara’s wrong. They arrive with five minutes to spare before Lena is scheduled to speak at the gala.

 

 _The way it brings out the blue in your eyes is the Tenerife Sea_  

 

“A little bit more to the left!”

“More? Kara, if I move any farther I’m going to fall into the ocean.”

"Lena,” Kara tuts indignantly. “I would never let that happen to you.”

Lena rolls her eyes and shuffles a little bit more to the left. She decides last minute to ditch the smile at the camera expression and goes for the Supergirl pose instead.

“Really?!” Kara says with one eyebrow raised.

“Just take the picture before I actually fall off!”

The camera flashes and Lena relaxes. She looks out and when she notices Kara juggling the camera as she almost drops it into the Pacific Ocean, she laughs hysterically. A second flash alerts her to another picture being taken.

“You have to stop taking so many pictures of me,” Lena yells. They are standing at separate cliff faces, with Kara at a much higher vantage point to take pictures of Lena and the ocean. The cars are whizzing by behind them and the fog is slowly rolling in. Kara disappears and Lena hears a rustling of branches and leaves.

“Well,” Kara says from behind Lena, who jolts in surprise and almost falls into the ocean. Kara grabs a hold of her waist and pulls her from her certain death. “I have an eye for beauty.”

Lena rolls her eyes and pulls her in for a kiss.

-

Kara sings pop music loudly as Lena drives down the Pacific Coast Highway. She flails her hands out, long blond hair trailing behind her. Lena laughs. Thanks to the Herculean efforts of several people (Jess, Jimmy, and J’onn) to schedule a vacation aligning with Lena’s, Kara’s, and Supergirl’s schedules, Kara and Lena are on the long awaited road trip they’ve been planning for all year.

Lena looks over at Kara and thanks her lucky stars for giving her her own bright and sunny star. She takes her hand from the gear shift of their rented convertible and takes Kara’s hand to kiss it. She winks suggestively at Kara, as Katy Perry starts singing about kissing girls and liking it, and Kara laughs.

Who can blame Lena if she keeps on pulling over to kiss her girlfriend?

Kara’s wearing her ‘I Love SF’ tank with bright sunglasses perched on her nose. Lena smiles at the memory of their time in San Francisco and Palo Alto—crab cakes and wine, flying through fog and stolen kisses at vistas overlooking the city.

The Big Sur, next after San Francisco, is one of the most beautiful places Lena has ever seen. It’s as entertaining as Kara sputtering at Lena to follow the rules while she crosses broken fencing to hike down to the bottom of the wave crashed cliffs. When she follows begrudgingly, Lena races her to the bottom and then pouts when Kara cheats by floating down. They hop around boulders and wonder at the weird creatures they find living in the nooks and crannies between rocks and under the water. Lena takes a few shots of Kara standing at the edge, looking out at the fog and the ocean. 

-

It’s sunny today, which is a nice change from the fog they’ve been driving through. Lena slowly pulls into the harbor at Oxnard and hums while she gathers their things

“Wait,” Kara says slowly. She lifts her glasses to take a better look. “Where’s everyone else?”

She’s looking at the boat at the harbor, the one she found that takes trips to the Channel Islands.

“Oh,” Lena pauses. “I bought out the day.”

“You what?” Kara looks at her incredulously. “For this boat trip?”

Lena stops walking toward the boat and turns back to look at Kara. She winks.

“For all the boat trips today. It’s just going to be you, me, and the park rangers on that island.”

Kara runs up to her and grabs her hand. She kisses Lena on the cheek.

“What was that for?”

“For being a romantic.” 

-

Anacapa Island is beautiful. Lena has to remind Kara to stay on the trail as she looks tempted to run into the field of yellow flowers. Kara pouts but relents, opting to take as many pictures of the flowers as possible. Lena has to yank her silly girlfriend away when she jokes about floating over the flowers.

“Don’t you dare,” Lena warns. They’re swimming in an alcove and Kara has a mischievous look on her face. Lena shields her face in time for the splash attack. She yelps, attempting to swim away from Kara.

When the splashing stops, she feels strong arms pulling her flush against a toned body.

“Hi,” Kara murmurs with a smile. There are water droplets on her eyelashes and Lena can almost count the freckles on her nose. They’ve been together for almost two years and Kara still manages to make her breathless.

“Hi,” Lena whispers back. She leans in and kisses Kara.

They float like that for a while—small smiles, quiet conversations, and stolen kisses—completely intertwined with each other.

-

They’re in their hotel room, lounging under the sheets, when Alex calls.

“Alex,” Kara picks up. Lena kisses her hip bone and Kara bats her away.

“Kara, we have a problem.”

Lena moves to try again but Alex’s voice stops her in her tracks.

“It’s Lex Luthor.”

 

 

_All good things must come to an end_

 

 

Lena can’t even say she’s surprised. When it comes to her brother, nothing surprises her anymore. Of course. Lex fakes his own death and dupes them all, carrying out a diabolical plan while the world is lulled into a false sense of security for almost two years.

Kara flies them back to National City, heeding Alex’s specific instructions. When the city comes up on the horizon, Kara stops and pulls Lena closer to her chest. Lena can feel herself stop breathing. Plumes of black smoke and fires litter the city. They race to the DEO headquarters.

“Alex!” Kara calls out, running to crush Alex in a hug. Alex hugs her and then Lena.

“We have a situation,” Alex says gravely.

-

“It started with a prison break,” Alex explains as they gather around the debriefing table. “He’s unleashed prisoners from National City Penitentiary to terrorize the city and guard all roads out of the city. He blew up San Mateo Dam and routed it to circle back to the ocean, creating a water moat of sorts around the city. We’re trapped. Nobody can leave or enter National City. We can’t communicate either. He’s done something to isolate us from the rest of the world.”

“A communications blockade?” Lena asks incredulously. “Large enough for a whole city? What is this, Star Wars?”

“That’s what I said,” Winn confirms from his console. Alex continues.

“There is a bomb somewhere within city limits and he claims it’s enough to wipe us from the face of the planet.”

Alex looks up from the city schematics and eyes Lena.

“He seems to have, um, transplanted his brain into a younger body, a clone of himself,” Alex says slowly. Lena’s eyebrow shoots up at that. “The body we discovered in the wreckage _was_ Lex Luthor. It was riddled with cancer cells, which would explain the transplant. And he sped up the aging process, so our clone is a strapping young man in his twenties.”

“That’s…” Kara starts.

“Kryptonian technology,” Alex nods slowly, confirming Kara’s thoughts.

“But how?” Kara asks. “Humanity’s technology isn’t there yet. You’ve yet to figure out cloning, let alone expedited aging and selective genetic engineering.”

“We all thought he was after Lena when he broke into the DEO,” Alex notes. She nods towards Lena. “When he damaged your eye.”

“I traced back events during the attack and found footage that looked suspicious,” Winn explains, pulling up security footage and logs. “I realized it was altered, so I did some digging. He wasn’t just here for Lena.”

They watch as Lex Luthor drags an unconscious Alex to use her prints and unlock the room with Kara’s pod.

“He was here for Kryptonian technology.”

Lena feels the color drain from her face. She turns to look at Kara.

“This isn’t the worst of it,” J’onn adds. He gestures to Winn, who calls up a TV broadcast.

Lena clenches her teeth at the image of her brother in his famed warsuit. He looks much younger, sitting on a makeshift throne inside City Hall.

“That warsuit is built with Kryptonian technology,” J’onn explains. “With Kryptonite weapons.”

Eyes land on Kara and Lena feels her fingers wrap around hers.

“He’s going to kill Kal,” She says quietly.

Alex looks away.

“No,” She says quietly. “He wants to kill you.” 

- 

Alex explains that Superman has his hands full with a prison break in Metropolis, no doubt orchestrated to keep him away from the ensuing chaos in National City.

They split up. Alex refuses to give in to Kara’s demands that she face Lex Luthor herself. She’s instead relegated the task of finding and disarming the bomb, with instructions to isolate the explosion as a last minute solution. Alex and Maggie move out with law enforcement to squash inmate insurrection while the Guardian moves to identify a way to evacuate the city. Winn and Lena are in the DEO headquarters to fix the communication blockade. J’onn leads everybody else in the charge to take down Lex.

 _‘We’re here to provide amnesty,’_ Lex spoke through the television. Lena quietly watches the broadcast with her arms around herself. _‘We are here to make humanity great again.’_

Lena turns off the television and walks over to Kara.

“Please don’t do anything foolish,” Lena says quietly, clutching on to Kara’s cape.

Kara turns around and smiles. She pulls Lena close against her and kisses her soundly.

“You know I can’t promise that, not when you could be in danger,” Kara whispers. “Fools in love, am I right?”

“Kara…” Lena starts.

Kara pulls away and floats over the balcony.

“ _Zhao khap rrip_ ,” Kara tells her.

“I love you, too,” Lena responds.

Kara turns and flies off, breaking the sound barrier. 

-

Kara flies high above National City, scanning the area for anything resembling a bomb. There’s so much going on, it’s almost too difficult to filter out the chaotic activity.

She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. She finds Lena’s heartbeat out of habit. It’s steady, if not a little elevated. She smiles at the thought of Lena running around the DEO and ordering Winn around.

A second faint noise catches her attention.

A ticker.

A timer.

She opens her eyes, zooming in on the source.

“Found you,” She says to herself, flying off to L-Corp. 

- 

“Okay,” Winn starts, sifting through the Kryptonian library in front of them. “Thank god for the Kryptonian translator you built. This would take forever otherwise.”

Lena scrolls through the notes on electromagnetic shielding, not bothering to wait for the translator to load.

“He’s made something like a Faraday cage on steroids,” Lena mutters to herself. “Except suffice to say, he didn’t build a metal cage large enough to cover the city. We can’t see the conductive material disrupting the charges and cancelling the electric field from any communication devices.”

“Is he using carbon? That should be able to conduct electricity,” Winn notes, eyes scanning the notes in front of him.

Lena shakes her head.

“We would see graphite,” She mumbles to herself. Her train of thought stops when something in the Kyrptonian notes catches her eye.

“Water…” Lena says quietly.

“Pure water can’t conduct electricity,” Winn corrects her, busying himself with a new volume of notes.

“Salt water!” Lena gets up abruptly, rushing back to the control center.

“Lena, wait!” Winn yells after her. 

- 

Kara sees the bomb as she approaches the rooftop. It’s a round, black thing, as large as a delivery truck.

“Oh boy,” Kara says to herself. She pushes on her communicator and gets nothing. “Dammit.”

Deciding for herself, she scans the surroundings and approaches slowly. 

- 

“What are you talking about?” Winn calls out, watching as Lena frantically types on his keyboard. “Lena!”

Lena ignores him and gets up, casting the image on her tablet to the hologram table. National City appears before them.

“Lex didn’t blow up the dam to make a moat around the city,” Lena explains, typing into the tablet. A simulation of the dam blowing up appears on the hologram. The water rushes from the reservoir at the top of the mountain, cascading down the mountains. A second explosion splits the water path and reroutes both branches away from the city. “He routed it this way on purpose.”

“Pure water doesn’t conduct electricity,” Lena continues. The rushing branches both reach the Pacific Ocean, surrounding National City with water. “But salt water does.”

“Ocean water,” Winn says in disbelief.

Lena nods.

“Partner that with Kryptonian technology induced high humidity,” Lena observes. She types into the tablet and a network of droplets appear on the hologram, shielding all of National City.

“Oh my god,” Winn breathes out. 

-

Kara lands a few feet from the bomb. She eyes the ticking clock and scans inside, trying to identify the inner workings of the bomb.

She hears movement before seeing it. When she turns, she sees armed men wearing black.

“Hey fellas,” She says to them. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure you will also die when this thing blows up.” 

-

“We need something to disrupt the network of droplets,” Lena says, looking around them. She remembers Mick Rory’s fire gun. “The Legends have a flamethrower of sorts. We need something like that.”

Winn’s eyebrow furrows, thinking of a suitable solution.

“Follow me,” Winn says, running to the elevator. They step in and Winn presses the basement button. He notices Lena wringing her hands.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asks.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” she mumbles, eyeing the door.

“It’ll be fine,” Winn says, sounding more like he’s trying to convince himself.

He nods and walks out when the doors slide open. He pushes into the weaponry room. It takes him a minute, but he finds what he is looking for. Lena follows him to the back wall.

“Here we go,” he says triumphantly. 

-

Kara takes a deep breath, looking at the unconscious men around her. She dusts her hands and turns back to the bomb. She touches the surface.

“Augh!” She yells out, dropping to her knees and feeling herself weaken. She fights to keep her eyes open. She knows this feeling well.

“What did you do to my friends?”

Kara drags her eyes up and the unmistakable glow of kryptonite.

“Lex Luthor.” 

- 

“Aim it directly above us. That should be the shortest radius,” Lena notes. Winn nods. Agent Vasquez points the gun upward.

A yellow energy beam erupts, shooting directly to the sky. The two of them watch as steam forms from the evaporated water droplets.

“I think it’s working!” Winn yells over the loud energy gun. Lena runs back to the console and Winn follows suit.

“Can anyone hear me?” Winn calls into the microphone.

Nothing but static comes through for a few minutes. Lena and Winn visibly sag.

 _“Did someone say something?”_ Alex’s voice comes through.

Lena and Winn smile and look at each other. Winn fist pumps.

“Yes, Alex,” Lena says into the microphone. “We can hear you!”

 _“Supergirl!”_ J’onn’s voice echoes in the room. 

-

 _"Supergirl!”_ J’onn’s voice comes in through the comms. _“Lex Luthor is not in City Hall.”_

“I know J’onn!” Kara screams in pain. “He’s with me!”

 _“Where are you?”_ Lena’s worried voice asks in her ear. Lex turns on a device, emitting soundwaves at a high enough frequency that only Kara can hear it. She throws her hands over her ears and folds in on herself more. Her earpiece pops out and Lex moves closer to crush it with his foot.

“My sister has always had a soft spot for degenerates,” He tuts. He steps on Kara’s head.

- 

“Supergirl!” Winn and Lena yell out when Kara’s comms stop, her screams of pain being silenced abruptly.

 _“Lena! Winn!”_ Alex comes through the speakers. _“Did you trace Kara’s signal?”_

“Hang on,” Lena says, standing behind Winn and pointing to something on the screen.

“Come on,” Winn whispers to himself, scanning the whole city. “Please.”

“There!” Lena yells out. “That’s it!”

“She’s at the L-Corp building,” Winn says urgently into his speaker.

 _“On it,”_ J’onn says. Followed by an affirmative from Alex.

“Hurry,” Winn says. “God, they’re not going to make it—”

When Winn turns, he notices that Lena is gone. 

- 

_“Lena Luthor! Where do you think you’re going?”_

“City Hall is all the way across town,” Lena argues into her private communication line. “And Maggie and Alex are on foot! Kara’s going to die before anyone gets there!”

She hears Winn screech.

_“So you’re going by yourself?! Are you insane?”_

“I’m not going to sit here and let Kara die,” Lena notes, throwing on the pilot’s headset. “And I’m not alone. I have you.”

The chopper lifts off the ground and takes off for L-Corp.

“I hate flying,” Lena mutters to herself. “Winn, I need you to listen carefully…” 

-

“Smile! You’re on camera!” Lex chirps happily, pointing to the red blinking light. “The whole world is watching.”

Supergirl lifts her head slowly, straining to look at Lex Luthor.

“Quite poetic, if I might add,” Lex notes. “The only thing left of your precious planet is the only thing that can kill you and your cousin.”

He gives Supergirl a swift kick in the gut, sneering as she curls in on herself. Suprgirl clutches her ears, her cape swaddling her like a blanket.

Lex leans against the bomb, the burning synthetic kryptonite on his chest giving his face an eerie green glow.

“Do you know the story of Prometheus?” Lex stops and looks at Supergirl expectantly. “No? Of course you don’t. Prometheus was a god who stole the power of fire form the other gods and gave control of it to the mortals. In an essence, he gave mankind knowledge and technology.”

He throws his hands up in the air.

“He gave us the power to fight the gods.”

“You’re no god, Lex Luthor,” Supergirl grits out. Lex’s face changes form unbridled mirth to rage. His nostrils flare and he grits his teeth, pushing off from the bomb.

“Gods are selfish beings who fly around in little red capes,” Lex hisses, moving towards her. “You above all. Osiris. Zeus. Yahweh. Supergirl. See, what we call God depends upon our tribe, because God is tribal. God takes sides. God is all powerful but he is not all good. He drowned every soul on the planet save Noah and his family. He orchestrated the murder of everyone in Jericho. And He brought forth the plague, killing innocent Egyptian children. God can wake up one day and decide to smite us all.”

His footsteps come nearer and Kara forces her eyes to open.

“And God can decide to abandon a group of hostages and police officers to their death.”

Kara hears a click.

“I don’t want to be a god. I just want to bring the fire to the people.”

Supergirl looks up and finds Lex Luthor towering over her, the barrel of a kryptonite gun pointed at her face.

“Any final words?” Lex asks with a smile.

Supergirl smiles, looking directly at him.

“How does it feel to be the lesser Luthor?” She gasps out.

Lex looks confused for a second. The loud sound of a chopper’s wings engulf them as a chopper lifts up from underneath, stopping by the edge of the building.

-

Kara laughs as Lex Luthor’s expression drops, finding himself face to face with his sister.

Lena Luthor is standing in front of the open helicopter door, a large blaster poised in her hands. A blue beam hits Lex squarely in the chest, throwing him back and neutralizing the synthetic kryptonite on his armor. He lands with a loud thud, crushing the camera behind him.

 _“How are we doing?”_ Winn’s voice comes in through the comms.

“You’re doing great, Winn,” Lena says. “Can you land?”

 _“Copy,”_ Winn replies from the DEO headquarters.

Lena holds on as Winn remotely pilots the helicopter down on the helipad. She jumps off immediately, grabbing Lex’s kryptonite weapons and throwing them in the helicopter.

“Winn,” She calls out. “I put Lex’s weapons on the chopper. Take these back to the DEO.”

_“Roger that.”_

She runs towards Kara.

“Supergirl!” Lena cries out, kneeling next to Kara.

Kara points to the device a few feet from them.

“Lena,” She croaks out.

Lena gets up and promptly smashes the device with her gun.

The noise stops for Kara and she feels her muscles relax. She sits up slowly, feeling Lena’s arms engulf her immediately.

“You saved my life,” Kara mumbles into Lena’s hair. “Thank you.”

“We need to get you out of here,” Lena says urgently, pulling back to look at Kara.

“But the bomb,” Kara argues. She eyes the timer and sees it ticking down to ten minutes.

 _“Supergirl, ETA is three minutes,”_ J’onn informs them. Lena squints and focuses her bionic eye, spotting J’onn approaching in the air.

“J’onn and Alex are coming,” Lena reminds her, pulling Kara up to her feet. “You nee—”

“Lena!” 

Lena gasps for air as Lex lifts her up, armored fingers around her neck. Kara watches in horror, standing up with shaky legs.

“Sister, when will you see the light?” Lex tuts, throwing Lena to the side. She lands with a loud thud and Kara sees she’s lost consciousness. She’s afraid for a second, but then hears Lena’s steady heartbeat. 

“You!” Kara tears her eyes away from Lena and curls her fists. Lex screams at her, limping closer. “I don’t need kryptonite weapons to destroy you, alien scum.”

Kara looks at Lena again. Lex notices and follows her line of sight.

“She’s next, after I’m done with you,” He hisses. “Once you’re gone, she’ll understand. She’ll join my noble cause. Or I’ll just have to _persuade_ her with other methods.”

Kara screams, finding strength she didn’t think she had left. She charges at Lex and punches him hard in the face. She’s too weak to crush his head, but the sound of cracking bones is loud enough for any human to hear. She grabs his warsuit’s collar and slams him against the bomb.

“You will never touch her again!” She snarls in his face. “Or I swear to Rao I will claw your heart out myself!”

For the first time in all of their encounters, Lex Luthor looks terrified.

“Supergirl!” J’onn calls out, landing next to her.

Kara turns and sees J’onn approach.

“J’onn, hold him down,” She tells him. J’onn swiftly moves in, pinning Lex with all his might.

“Don’t touch me with your filthy hands!” Lex yells.

Kara’s heat vision begins melting Lex’s warsuit, welding it onto the bomb he’s pinned against.

“Stop!” Lex continues to struggle, his arm completely welded on to the bomb.

J’onn punches him in the face, knocking him unconscious. His head drops forward and he stops struggling.

“His voice was getting annoying,” J’onn shrugs, watching as Kara finishes the welding job. The timer on the bomb continues to tick, crossing the 2 minute threshold.

“Supergirl!”

J’onn and Kara turn to find Alex and Maggie running over to them. Maggie stops and bends down to check on Lena’s unconscious form. Kara almost forgets about the large explosive device next to her. She moves to approach Lena but Lex Luthor’s whine brings her back to reality.

“Time to go,” Kara tells J’onn and Alex. She grabs on to the bomb and lifts it above her head. Alex protests.

“Kara!”

Kara turns and sees Lena sitting up. Relief floods her chest at the sight.

“I’ll be right back,” Kara notes with a smile.

Lex begins to stir next to her, eyes coming into focus.

“What are you doing?” He stutters out.

“This ends now,” Kara grits out, lifting the bomb up into the air. Lex struggles against his welded warsuit.

“Are you foolish enough to think this will work?” Lex reasons. “You won’t survive up there.”

“Oh, I’m not going with you,” Kara chides, pushing the bomb faster. She watches as Lex’s eyes begin to roll back, his body unable to keep up with the rapid change in pressure and elevation. The air is almost too thin.

“Kara,” He manages to stutter out. “Do you…know wh-what’s funny?”

Kara eyes him, then the ticking clock on the bomb.

0:15.

Time to disengage and throw Lex into outer space.

“Bomb…it’s,” Lex struggles, wheezing. “It’s…”

0:08.

“…core is synthetic Kryptonite.”

Kara’s eyes widen just as Lex Luthor’s heart stops beating. She manages to look behind her right before the bomb explodes.

Eyes wide with fear, Lena watches as a green explosion spreads across the sky.


	3. Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. Here it is. The end. Thank you for sticking around. This was a nugget of a story that got away from me. I would reread the previous chapters...jus' saying.
> 
> Come say hi at zefrumiousbandersnatch.tumblr
> 
> Also, I wrote this whole series to Max Richter's Recomposed Vivaldi - Four Seasons. Makes it quite dramatic in my head when I'm writing.

_The girl who lived._

 

The City square is filled with people stretching as far as the eye can see. It’s a beautiful day, sunny and without a cloud in the sky. There are cameras and microphones, and the President of the United States is standing next to the mayor of National City and Superman. 

And in the center of it all, under white cloth, is the reason why they’ve all gathered.

When the President pulls the cloth back and reveals a beautiful statue of Supergirl, Lena chokes back a sob. She doesn’t hear a word the President says about Supergirl nor any of the clapping around her. As far as the world knows, Lena and the collection of people behind her only knew Supergirl from a distance. Alex reaches for her hand and she gives it a tight squeeze.

Looking back at the memorial, Lena wonders if the artist captured the little scar by Kara’s eyebrow.

- 

By stark contrast, Kara’s funeral is a quiet affair. 

They bury her in a small cemetery in Midvale and Lena finds some comfort in knowing Kara will forever be under the bright yellow sun and starry night sky. She stares as dirt is shoveled above the casket and throws in a handful herself, muttering a quiet goodbye only Clark hears. 

She stays behind while everyone starts walking back to their cars. 

“Hey,” Alex says behind her. 

“Hi,” Lena says weakly, not looking away from the headstone. 

“This was for you,” Alex says quietly. 

Lena looks over and sees that Alex is holding out a black velvet box. She hesitates and takes it with a shaking hand, Alex’s eyes not leaving hers the entire time. 

When she opens the box and sees a beautiful ring, Lena finally breaks down and cries. Alex holds her while she sobs and sobs. 

- 

“You know, the answer is not at the bottom of that bottle. Trust me, I’ve looked.” 

Lena looks up at Sara Lance, who sits down next to her and gingerly plies the bottle of bourbon out her hands. The gentle light from the Danvers house glows behind them and Lena can hear Winn recounting the way Kara revealed her secret superhero identity. 

“I’m not quite up for shenanigans today. Or emotional speeches for that matter,” Lena mumbles. She hugs her legs closer and turns to the night sky. For a second, she wonders if Kara missed this when she moved to National City. Midvale lacks the light pollution National City has—the night sky is clear and the stars above them are numerous. 

“Neither am I,” Sara says quietly, leaning against the banister. 

They’re quiet for what feels like hours. They sit and stare at the stars, passing the bottle of bourbon between the two of them. 

“Sara,” Lena starts. “The Waverider—” 

“Lena, you know I can’t let you do that,” Sara says quietly. 

Lena looks away, inhaling deeply because she does understand. Sara’s hands are tied—this is a woman who wakes up every day knowing she can prevent her sister’s death but doesn’t. 

She understands, but Lena wants to say to hell with the rules. 

“I’m sorry.” 

Lena shakes her head. 

“I understand.” 

-

Lena returns to work almost immediately. Their home feels too empty and Lena is haunted by memories of Kara at every turn. Their bed still smells like Kara. The fruity shampoo stares at her while she showers and the unwashed mug sits in the sink. There is an open magazine resting on the coffee table, with a CatCo issued laptop humming quietly next to it. And on the fridge is a post-it with ‘pick-up road trip snacks!’ written in Kara’s neat scrawl. 

It suffocates her. So Lena turns to work, like she always has in times of difficulty. 

She walks across the lobby and keeps an impassive face, ignoring the look of pity on the doorman’s face. Spotting her town car, she opens the door and slides in, not bothering to look up at the chauffeur. 

“How are you today, David?” Lena asks, buckling her seat belt. 

“I’ve been better.” 

Lena’s head snaps up immediately. 

“Hey, Snow,” Mick Rory greets her, his eyes catching hers through the rear view mirror. 

“Rory?” Lena breathes out. She feels her body hit the seat as Rory starts driving. “What are you doing here?” 

“Figured I’d visit my favorite Disney Princess,” Rory shrugs. 

“Where’s everybody else?” 

“Wherever I’m also supposed to be,” Rory says without looking at her, turning left. 

Lena is still a little dumbfounded to say anything else. 

“Listen, Snow,” Rory looks at the rear view. “We don’t have much time.” 

She wants to tell him to pay attention to the road, but Rory’s expression stops whatever is on the tip of Lena’s tongue. 

“You didn’t hear it from me, but...” 

He trails off and Lena decides to stay quiet. Rory is looking at her like he’s waiting for a confirmation and Lena’s silence gives it to him. 

“On Earth-10, there are mutants born with powers,” Rory says slowly, turning his attention back to the road. “And there is one who can send you back in time.”

Lena’s eyes widen at the implication. This is why Rory is being so clandestine—The Legends don’t know he’s here, giving Lena the information to do the one thing they are sworn to prevent.

“You have to find the X-Men,” Rory looks back at her at the rear view. “If you find them, you’ll find Kitty Pryde.”

“Good morning, Miss Luthor.”

Lena almost jumps. She turns to the opened car door and the L-Corp doorman looking at her expectantly. She realizes the car is stopped and they’ve made it to their destination.

When she looks back at Rory, he’s gone, with her regular chauffeur having replaced him.  

- 

“Lena, this is crazy,” Winn shakes his head, walking faster into the lab in an attempt to distance himself from the woman hounding him.

“Winn, Kara did it before!” Lena reasons. She slams a box on the bench top. “I need your help. This is the only way we can get her back!”

“Lena, she’s gone,” Winn says. He puts his face in his hands. “She’s gone.”

Lena stops in her tracks, the fight leaving her. Sometimes, she forgets she’s not the only one who lost Kara. The sun went out forever for a lot of people that day.

“Winn,” She starts slowly, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I’m going to do this. With or without you. But I apologize. I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to.”

She waits silently for Winn to look up at her. For anything. When he doesn’t move after a few minutes, Lena sighs.

“Okay,” She says, pulling away. “Just don’t tell Alex, please.”

She’s just put her hand on the door when Winn speaks up again.

“She would never forgive me,” Winn says quietly, “if you die because of something massively stupid and I did nothing to help you.”

Lena turns around with a small smile. Winn throws his head back and scrunches his face, seemingly having an internal debate.

When he tilts his head to face her, Lena releases the breath she’s holding.

“Let me see that thing.”

 

 

_I will follow you into the dark_

 

 

It takes them multiple attempts, mostly without incident (not counting the one minor explosion that signed Winn’s eyebrow), before Lena and Winn successfully build an inter-dimensional portal.

“You ready?” Winn asks her, sitting by the console and watching Lena nervously.

Lena gulps and steels herself. 

“As I’ll ever be,” She answers, standing in front of the apparatus.

“All systems are go,” Winn says, punching some keys on the console and powering up the portal. “We’ll see you on the other side, Eagle-two.”

“Eagle-two?” Lena asks, stopping mid-step.

“Well yeah,” Winn says with an eye roll. “I’m Eagle-one.”

Lena laughs.

“Alright,” she shakes her head. “See you on the other side, Eagle-one.”

And with that, she gives a mock salute and jumps in. 

-

“Who the hell are you?”

Lena spins at the voice. She finds a woman standing in an empty classroom, hands on her waist. She’s imposing, despite her small stature, and Lena takes a step back.

The coordinates should have gotten her close enough to Charles Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, but this is very clearly more than just ‘close’ to the school. She needs to remember to give Winn a high five.

“Excuse me?” The woman tries to grab her attention. She snaps her fingers. “You have two seconds before I call my associate. And trust me, you don’t want me to call my associate.”

“I’m looking for Kitty Pryde,” Lena says hurriedly, holding her hands up in an attempt to placate the woman. “Mick Rory sent me here.”

“That pig!” The woman spits out immediately, face changing from defensive to angry.

“Okay,” Lena says slowly. “I probably shouldn’t have started with that.”

“I’m Kitty,” the woman responds. “Are you with that ragtag group of troublemakers? What do they call themselves again?”

“The Legends,” Lena supplies. “I was, but this is something entirely different.”

“Look,” Kitty sighs, moving to the desk and gathering her things. “I don’t know who you are. And I don’t know who you think I am, but you need to leave.”

“I’ve come a long way to find you,” Lena tries again. “Kitty, I need your help. You need to send me back in time.”

“I’m sorry,” Kitty puts her laptop down rather harshly. “Who are you again?”

“Lena Luthor.”

Both Lena and Kitty turn to the door at the sound of a woman’s voice.

“Jean,” Kitty starts. “Do you know this woman?”

Lena tries not to flinch at the scrutinizing gaze she finds when she looks at Jean. She has no recollection of ever meeting this woman, especially since this is her first foray in dimension hopping. She feels funny, like something is tickling the base of her brain.

“No,” Jean says. “She’s not from this dimension. From a different Earth.”

Lena feels her jaw drop. How did this woman know?

“And she’s here because she wants to change her timeline. To save this Supergirl,” Jean elaborates.

“Supergirl?” Kitty frowns.

“She’s a hero in my dimension,” Lena explains, racking her brain. How does one explain who Kara is to her? “She was killed during a massive attack on our city.”

“Did evil prevail?” Kitty asks, suddenly serious. “Is she needed to defeat them? Do you need our help to defeat them?”

Lena opens her mouth.

“No,” Jean says before she can say anything. She’s looking at Lena with a curious gaze. “She succeeded. Supergirl rid their Earth of a great evil, dying in the process.”

“Then why,” Kitty begins to ask.

“I think it would be best for you to see yourself out, Miss Luthor,” Jean continues. “Time and space are bigger than all of us. Bigger than our desires. Bigger than our suffering. You of all people should understand the profound ripples that come from dipping your toes in the waters of time.”

“How do you even know that?” Lena begins to argue.

“Please return to your world,” Jean insists again. “Or we will return you.”

Lena clamps her mouth and swallows hard.

“I’ll see her out,” Kitty volunteers, moving closer to Lena.

Jean eyes them both and Lena feels the sensation again. This time, she holds her gaze and stands her ground.

“Very well,” Jean nods, turning to leave the room.

After she’s gone, Lena turns to Kitty.

“How did she know all those things?” Lena asks.

“She can read minds,” Kitty shrugs. “Look, you really do have to go.”

Lena looks at her and gauges her reaction. She realizes she needs to do her research.

“Fine,” Lena acquiesces. “But I’ll be back.” 

- 

Lena comes up with a wide array of schemes to convince Kitty Pryde to help her, the most extreme one being her storming the school and using force to demand their help. She quickly realizes storming strongholds is not one of her fortes and crosses that one out.

Ultimately, she ends up not needing to convince Kitty at all. Kitty finds her on her own and explains why Jean was so apprehensive. She tells Lena of a dystopian world, where mutants like her were hunted and executed. It’s the work of her team—the X-Men—that reversed the future. Jean herself died in that dystopian future, brought back by the actions of Kitty and Jean’s lover, who went back to change the course of time.

“You have to be careful,” Kitty tells her. “Every action you take can have serious repercussions.”

She directs Lena to lie down and stands by the edge of the bed, by Lena’s head.

“I haven’t done this in a while,” Kitty says, stretching her arms and fingers like she’s about to do yoga. “And never in an inter-dimensional fashion.”

“That’s quite reassuring,” Lena mumbles. “I have complete faith in you.” 

Kitty stops and looks at her. 

“You must love her very much,” Kitty muses. “To completely disregard your own well-being.” 

Lena closes her eyes and tries to still her heart. 

“I do,” She says quietly. She gasps when the cold fingers hit her temples. 

-

_Lena Luthor! Where do you think you’re going?”_

Lena blinks, taking a second to get her bearings straight. She looks around and sees the DEO helicopter next to her and a sizable gun in her hands.

 _“Lena?”_ Winn’s voice comes through the comms again. Lena shakes her head, remembering exactly what she came for.

“We don’t have much time,” Lena argues into her private communication line. She looks around for netting and rope. “Kara’s going to die before anyone gets there!”

She hears Winn screech.

_“So you’re going by yourself?! Are you insane?”_

“I’m not going to let Kara die,” Lena says solemnly, throwing in the rope and netting. She climbs up and situates herself in the pilot’s seat. “And I’m not alone. I have you.”

The chopper lifts off the ground and takes off for L-Corp.

“Winn, I need you to hack this helicopter and fly it remotely.” 

-

 _"How are we doing?”_ Winn’s voice comes in through the comms. Lena breathes hard, eyeing Lex’s unconscious form on the ground. Her breath hitches when her eyes land on Kara. Kara’s alive. She feels an immediate tug and almost walks out of the chopper in an attempt to get closer.

“ _Hello?”_

Lena snaps out of her trance.

“Land the chopper close to the bomb,” Lena says, wiping the tears from her eyes.

 _“Copy,”_ Winn replies from the DEO headquarters.

Lena holds on as Winn remotely pilots the helicopter down on the helipad. She jumps off immediately and is halfway to Kara when she catches herself. She stops. She looks from Kara to the bomb and reminds herself why she’s here. She’ll see Kara again if she succeeds.

Grabbing the rope and netting she’s brought with, Lena runs towards the bomb. She flings the net around it and secures it tightly with rope. She throws the kryptonite weapons into the chopper and fastens the rope carabiners on the helicopter legs.

15:00

“Winn,” She calls out. “I secured the bomb to the chopper. Can you fly it over the Pacific Ocean? As high and far away as possible.”

_“Uh…I’ll do my best.”_

Lena steps back as the chopper lifts up from the ground. She watches as it flies towards the ocean.

“Lena,” Kara calls out to her weakly.

She immediately turns and runs towards her. Lena crushes the device emitting the high frequency noise weakening Kara and kicks it away. Gathering Kara in her arms, Lena smiles through her tears.

“What’s happening?” Kara asks, disoriented.

“Nothing to worry about,” She hushes, brushing Kara’s cheek with her thumb.

“Supergirl!” They both look up and see J’onn landing in front of them. “Where is the bomb? And Lex Luthor?”

Lena’s eyes widen, frantically looking for Lex. Her eyes dart back to where his unconscious body recently lay and finds the spot empty. She turns to J’onn and opens her mouth to explain.

“Supergirl! J’onn!” Alex and Maggie call out, bursting through the stairwell door. “What happened?”

An ear shattering explosion reverberates and the shockwaves throws them to the ground. Lena pulls Kara closer, shielding her from the green glow.

“What was that?” Kara asks.

“A kryptonite bomb,” Lena supplies quietly, looking down at Kara with a small smile.

Everything fades to black. 

-

Lena wakes up with a strangled scream. She looks around and doesn’t recognize anything around her. She’s in a dimly lit room and she can hear the sound of waves crashing in the distance.

What happened?

A loud boom shakes her out of her reverie. The sounds of screaming and gunshots permeate through the metal door. When the gunshots come closer, Lena looks around the room for anything she can use as a weapon. She grabs the pillow and hurriedly pulls the pillow case, twisting it into a rope. She positions herself so she’s hidden by the door when it swings open and steels herself with a deep breath.

The gunshots stop and the door swings open.

Lena immediately jumps out from her hiding spot and throws the twisted pillowcase around the man’s neck, using it to brace herself and strangle him. The man immediately drops his gun and clutches the makeshift noose.

“Who sent you?!” Lena barks into the man’s ear.

“Un…cle,” He manages to gasp out. His voice sounds familiar.

“Did you—Jesus H. Christ!”

Lena’s hold loosens when she’s met with the sight of a mortified Jimmy Olsen.

“This is why I never go into the room first,” Jimmy says. “Lena, please don’t kill Winn.”

Lena’s eyes widen and she immediately releases the pillowcase. The man, who she can now see is Winn, falls to his knees and clutches his throat.

“I found her,” Winn gasps out. 

Jimmy smiles at Lena, pulling her in for a tight hug.

“We’ve been looking everywhere for you,” Jimmy says.

“Jimmy, where are—”

Lena stops talking. Over Jimmy’s shoulder, she eyes the trail of bodies in the long hallway outside of her cell. She focuses on the red armbands on their uniforms and gasps when she sees the unmistakable LuthorCorp logo emblazoned on the fabric. 

 

_Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore._

  

“How did this happen?” Lena asks, looking out the window. She eyes the ominous flags waving in the air, her brother’s insignia mocking her. She looks back and sees Jimmy sitting on the worn out bed. Winn is out cold behind him, snoring softly. They’re in a resistance safe house, waiting for a second group of troops to bring Lena back to their base.

“If you remember, Lex escaped during his failed attack on National City. He took you,” Jimmy explains. “And then he vanished. Your disappearance…It crushed Kara. Drove her almost insane, looking for you. But there was also the matter of L-Corp.”

Lena looks at him with a quizzical brow.  

“With your disappearance, your shares passed on to your next of kin.”

“My next of kin…?” Lena says slowly. She doesn’t have any next of kin aside from Lex.

“Julian Luthor became the major shareholder of L-Corp.”

Lena’s eyes widen.

“Julian?” She says with surprise. “Julian Luthor died in infancy. Lillian killed him in a bout of postpartum depression, something Lex took the blame for as a child to protect our mother. There is no Julian Luthor.”

“Julian emerged, claiming to have been alive and in hiding the whole time, kidnapped and unaware of his true heritage until very recently. When his DNA matched yours, there was nothing the board of directors could do. Shortly after Julian took over, a global epidemic broke out. It was like the second coming of the Black Plague,” Jimmy continues. “People were dying all over the world.”

Jimmy pauses to take a drink of water.

“Do you know who saved the day?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I’m going to go out on a limb and say it’s not Lex.”

Jimmy laughs.

“That’s correct. Wrong Luthor,” He says. “It was you.”

“What?” Lena deadpans.

“Well,” Jimmy clarifies. “Your legacy did. All those investments in emerging technologies you made? They sure came in handy. L-Corp was able to provide a genetically engineered food and clean, accessible drinking water. And L-Corp also discovered a cure.”

Lena is speechless. Her business plan, all the work she’s done, has been directed towards making L-Corp a force for good. However, there is a nagging, ominous feeling in the pit of her stomach about this.

“L-Corp saved the day,” Jimmy tells her.  “The name Luthor became synonymous with good. And Julian Luthor was elected president in a landslide victory, riding on the coattails of L-Corp’s success.”

“President?” Lena breathes out. “You can’t be serious.”

“I’m serious as can be, Lena,” Jimmy answers. “Julian was a good guy. At least, that’s what we all thought.”

There it is.

“It never occurred to anyone how suspicious it all was—the timing. No one suspected Lex had anything to do with this, that he was laying low and waiting for the most opportune moment. He carried out the second phase of his plan, something our intelligence agencies did not see coming.”

He takes out a newspaper clipping from his bag and hands it over.

Lena takes it with shaking hands and reads the headline.

“The State of the Union address,” Lena whispers. She traces the picture of Capitol Hill going up in flames.

“Wiped out the entire United States Government in one fell swoop,” Jimmy elaborates. “Except, of course, President Julian Luthor.”

Lena looks up at this.

“You see,” Jimmy says. “This Julian Luthor is a genetic clone of your dead half-brother, artificially aged and brainwashed by Lex. The United States Government collapsed and LuthorCorp, in effect, took over.”

Lena sits down on the bed, absorbing all the information.

“Lex released a strain of modified Medusa virus,” Jimmy says quietly. Lena looks up and feels the blood drain from her face. “So many died, Lena. So many.”

“I find it hard to believe the rest of the world went along with this,” Lena argues with disbelief.

“They had to,” Jimmy tells her. “Who else would provide food, medicine, and clean drinking water? Backed by the firepower of the United States military?”

“And the heroes?” Lena desperately argues, beginning to realize what she might have done in her selfish attempt to keep Kara. “What of the Justice League? Of Superman? What about Kara?”

Jimmy looks away, refusing to meet Lena’s eyes.

“Clark’s dead,” Jimmy says quietly.

Lena feels her stomach drop.

“And Kara?” Lena asks.

“Listen, Lena,” Jimmy starts.

“Jimmy,” Lena starts again with steel in her voice. “Where’s Kara?”

“She...ah,” Jimmy still doesn’t look at her. Lena reaches out for his hand, making him to look at her. If anyone understands, if anyone’s been as lucky as her to have loved and been loved by Kara, it’s Jimmy.

“Please.”

Lena tightens her grip, desperate to know if Kara is alive. If all this was for naught, if she failed and Kara is…

“She’s alive,” Jimmy finally says and Lena visibly sags in relief.

“But,” Jimmy adds cautiously. “She’s not the same Kara you last saw. She’s changed since you’ve been gone.”

Lena frowns. Her reflection on the window is unchanged and her own hands don’t look any different. But Jimmy and Winn…

For the first time since her rescue, she takes a closer look at Jimmy and Winn. They look ragged, which she originally attributed to dirt and unchecked facial hair. Realization is slow to come to her and she lets go of Jimmy.

“How long have I been gone?” Lena asks slowly.

Jimmy doesn’t respond. The door opens.

“Lena Luthor.”

Lena’s eyes immediately land on the shaved half of intruder’s head and the scar that runs from above her eyebrow down to her cheek. A bionic eye stares back at Lena’s own. There is a glint of metal peeking between the long black sleeve and leather glove.

“Ten years is too long, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Alex,” Lena breathes out. 

- 

Lena learns, as she rides the caravan back to the resistance base, that she has been kept in suspended animation for the past decade. Alex tells her a guard from the now fortified Anacapa Island LuthorCorp Research Facility defected, giving the rebellion intel on her location.

“So we assembled a team to retrieve you,” Alex explains. “And what a surprise it was to find you awake in a cell, suddenly taken out of suspended animation by Lex.”

“I don’t understand,” Lena says. “Why would he do that? Why not just kill me? And why wake me now?”

“Nobody knows,” Alex stops. She looks down at the door handle. “Lena, I’m sorry. But I can’t let you walk freely until we run some diagnostics. I’m not sure…”

“What Lex did to me?” Lena finishes for her, realizing what Alex is saying.

Alex squares her shoulders to face Lena.

“Yes,” She says with a hint of apology.

Lena rubs her face, taking a deep breath.

“I just want to see Kara,” Lena says quietly. “I don’t particularly care what you do to me. Please let me see her before you lock me up.”

“Lena,” Alex starts and Lena has to put all her energy into staying calm. “I’ll take you to her, but you have to prepare yourself.”

“What happened? I heard Clark is gone,” Lena says. “What happened to Kara?”

Alex doesn’t say anything, she just opens the door and motions for Lena to follow. The door leads to a stairwell and Alex begins her descent. Lena follows closely.

“Lex Luthor released a strain of Medusa virus years ago,” Alex tells her.

Lena swallows. It’s dark with only a string of dim light bulbs guiding them down the stairs.

“But he modified the virus,” Alex continues, her voice grave and serious. “Clark succumbed to it.”

Lena takes a deep breath, willing her eye not to water.

“And Kara?”

“Like J’onn and some aliens, Kara developed an immunity to it,” Alex continues. Lena can hear the relief in her voice. “But it came with a price.”

They stop at a metal door at the bottom of the stairs. Alex turns to face Lena.

She looks so tired. Alex clearly aged in the last ten years and the struggle has definitely left a mark on her. Lena takes in the loss and the strength and steels herself for what’s on the other side.

“Kara can no longer control her powers,” Alex explains. “She’s like a nuclear reactor, waiting to burst. She hurt some people…when she came out of the illness. And she’s been in her self-imposed exile ever since.”

Lena’s speechless.

“You’ll be protected in there,” Alex tells her. “Are you ready?”

She looks from Alex to the door and nods. 

- 

It’s sterile: white floors, white walls, and white ceilings. There are no windows and the room is bathed in ominous red light. There is a bed on one end and not much else.

And on the other end, meditating on the floor, is Kara.

Lena gasps. She notes her thin form and the shackles on her wrists and ankles.

The sound startles Kara. She opens her eyes and hurriedly gets up.

“Lena?” She whispers reverently, eyes wide with shock.

“I’ll give you guys some space,” Alex mumbles.

Neither of them acknowledge her. When the door slams shut, Lena snaps out of her reverie. In a heartbeat, she crosses the room and gathers Kara in her arms. Kara hugs her fiercely, crying into her shoulder. Lena begins to sob uncontrollably. She pulls her tight against her frame, afraid this is all part of the nightmare she can’t seem to wake up from.

“You’re here,” Lena whispers, pulling back to hold Kara’s face. “You’re alive.”

Kara laughs softly.

“I should be saying that to you,” Kara says quietly, tears still streaming down her face. She pulls Lena in for a fierce kiss and Lena pours all she has into it. She feels all the tension leave her body and she breathes for the first time since seeing Kara’s lifeless body fall from the sky.

Lena feels the edge of the bed hit the back of her legs. She falls on the bed, pulling Kara on top of her.

Kara pulls back to touch her face. She opens her mouth to speak and a siren interrupts her.

Almost like she’s been burned, Kara jumps away and scrambles to the far corner of the room. Lena gets up immediately, reaching out to Kara.

“Don’t!” Kara yells out. Lena stops in her tracks. She pulls her hand away. The siren continues to go off and Lena notices the red lights flickering.

Red lights…

“Lena,” Kara says pleadingly. “You have to leave.”

“I’m not leaving you again,” Lena says vehemently. “I only just got you back.”

Kara shakes her head.

“I’ll be right here,” Kara explains, fumbling with her shackles. “But you have to leave now. Come back in an hour.”

“Kara, what—”

The red lights go out completely, leaving Lena and Kara in darkness. In the silence, Lena can hear Kara’s hard breathing.

“Kara, what’s wrong?” Lena asks, blindly walking towards where she saw Kara last. She holds her hand out, feeling in front of her.

She isn’t prepared for a loud boom, followed by a mighty scream. Bright red beams come out from Kara’s eyes and she directs it to the ceiling. The ceiling sends a laser shower throughout the room and Lena feels like she’s caught in the heart of an exploding firework. In the red glow, Lena sees a crater on the floor, where Kara previously stood. She watches in fear as Kara floats above her, hands clenched in fists.

“Lena!”

Lena snaps her head at the distant noise, finding Alex and Jimmy at the door.

“What?!” She yells, their words coming in as muffled noises.

Alex gestures for her to run to the door. As she moves closer, she sees Alex aim a tranquilizing gun at Kara. Lena sees the ominous glow of Kryptonite, just as Alex pulls the trigger.

“Alex, no!” She yells out.

A green needle hits Kara. The laser beams stop immediately, as does Kara’s scream.

Lena watches in horror as she falls to the ground. 

- 

“What happened?” Lena asks. She’s sitting on an examination table as a medic examines her ruptured ear drums. Alex looks at her from the other side of the room, arms crossed and a serious expression on her face. By the looks on both their faces, Lena surmises she was yelling.

“Is Kara okay?” Lena continues, actively lowering her voice. She can’t help her accusatory tone. “You shot her with kryptonite.”

“It’s a small dose,” Alex says with a frown. “We had to do it. Otherwise, we all die.”

Lena looks away, still processing what she saw.

“The red light—it mimics a red sun, correct?” Lena ventures.

“That’s correct,” Alex responds.

“And the siren?”

Alex sighs. She uncrosses her arms and moves towards Lena. With a small nod, she dismisses the medic and takes over herself. Lena yelps as Alex pulls on her ear roughly.

“The siren,” Alex begins to explain, “Lets us know when a scheduled power outage is about to occur. We can’t exactly sign up for commercial power, not when you’re an underground resistance. So we employ other methods, mostly renewable energy. But we don’t have enough power. So we have power cycles now and then.”

“So when Kara loses the artificial red sun?” Lena asks slowly.

“When Kara loses the artificial red sun,” Alex starts, “All the pent up energy in her body becomes uncontrollable, and she practically bursts at the seams. Her shackles are made of lead, with kryptonite crystals in each one. She’s supposed to activate them when she hears the sirens.”

“She voluntarily exposes herself to kryptonite?” Lena turns to look at Alex, her tone incredulous.

“She doesn’t have a choice,” Alex tuts, turning Lena’s head. “We can’t figure out what the virus did to her cells.”

Lena purses her lip and looks ahead at the wall in front of her.

“Anyway,” Alex starts again. “She normally activates them in time. I’m guessing she was distracted.”

Lena feels her face heat up, which is ridiculous because she’s a grown woman who has traveled through time and different dimensions.

“Back one hour and already causing a commotion,” Alex says with a hint of mirth in her voice. “Always one with the flair for dramatics, eh, Little Luthor?”

Lena pauses at the nickname. She laughs.

“She says with surprise in her voice.” 

- 

Alex runs a multitude of tests on her, including an attempt to poke into her brain via an interesting helmet. She flinches as the cold probes touch her head and tells herself the earlier she finishes, the earlier she can see Kara. It takes two days, but Lena grits her way through the process. Her hearing is still affected, but the pain has subsided.

She’s released when Alex finds nothing and is issued a uniform and a bag of toiletries. When she asks where she’s staying, Winn gives her a knowing look.

“I could give you a bed in the barracks,” He starts, handing her a blanket. “Or, you could stay where we know you want to stay.”

Lena frowns, suddenly realizing this is now her reality. And that is something she can’t accept.

“Winn,” She says, looking around and leaning closer. “There’s something you should know. Something that might fix all of this.”

Winn looks at her with disbelief.

“Fix all of this?” Winn laughs. “Are you sure your ears aren’t the only things that got ruptured?”

She sighs and yanks him by the collar.

“Hey!” He yelps. “Respect your elders!”

Lena shakes her head.

“Winn, listen to me,” She tries again but stops when Winn shakes his head.

“Not here,” Winn says discretely.

Lena looks at him quietly. She lets go of his collar and moves away slowly. Winn leans forward and pretends to busy himself with the contents of his bag.

“Ooh,” Winn says with sudden mirth. “They gave you the good toothbrush.”

“What?” Lena deadpans.

“I said—”

“No, I heard you the first time,” Lena says hurriedly. “Toothbrush?”

“Yeah,” Winn says with a slight smile. “Check it out later, when you’re with Kara. Yeah?”

He gives her a knowing look and Lena frowns. She nods slowly, realizing there is a message her that she’s missing.

“Alright,” She says slowly, grabbing her bag. Winn gives her a nod before walking away.

Lena hauls her things and takes the long and dark stairwell to Kara’s cave, as she’s taken to calling it in her head. Her hands hover on the keypad and she hesitates for a brief second. When she puts her palm against the sensor, the door swings open.

The crater is still on the floor and there are burn marks from the laser sparks. The room is blanketed in the soft red glow of the sun lamp. Stepping in, Lena finds Kara curled up on the bed. She approaches slowly, making sure Kara knows it. Depositing her things on the floor, Lena sits on the bed.

“Kara,” She says softly, hesitantly touching her shoulder.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Kara mumbles, not turning to look at her.

Lena toes off her shoes and climbs on the bed, curling herself around Kara. She intertwines their fingers and plants a soft kiss on Kara’s nape, ignoring the cold metal of the lead shackles. When Kara shudders, Lena pulls her closer. She frowns at this body, so different from the one she’s used to. The toned muscle is gone, replaced by bones poking out from joints.

“I’m sorry,” Kara breathes out. “I hurt you, didn’t I?”

Lena shakes her head.

“It was out of your control,” she supplies.

Kara shakes her head and turns around. She reaches out to touch Lena’s face.

“I still can’t believe you’re here,” She whispers, like she’s afraid to break the moment. “Ten years, Lena. I couldn’t bear it. I couldn’t handle losing you.”

Lena suddenly remembers Kara doesn’t know what she did. In fact, no one here knows what she did. No one remembers what it was like, living with the ghost of the love of your life.

No one, that is, except Kara.

Lena looks at her and realizes this. She buckled under a few months of Kara’s absence, but Kara has shouldered hers for ten years. Lena’s eyes water. Kara Zor-El, who withstands loss after loss and still manages to wake up every day and put the needs of others above hers. She’s become one of the losses Kara has had to shoulder.

“Don’t cry,” Kara whispers, reaching out to wipe away her tears. Lena shakes her head and takes Kara’s hand, holding it close against her chest.

“Will you forgive me,” She says quietly, “When you find out all this is my fault?”

The crinkle appears and Kara gives her a questioning look. This is the first time Lena’s verbalized the thought that’s been quietly forming in her head since Jimmy told her what’s happened. That this is all her fault.

“What are you talking about?” Kara asks her, pleading with her eyes. “How can any of this be your fault? Lex took you against your will and kept you frozen for ten years. There was nothing you could do.”

Lena shakes her head.

“You died,” She starts, halting Kara’s movements. “When Lex attacked National City all those years ago, you died when the kryptonite bomb exploded. You and Lex. I watched you plummet to your death.”

Kara furrows her brow, not understanding.

“I couldn’t bear it, Kara,” She pleads with her. “I wanted to crawl underground and lay there with you.”

Lena sees the exact moment when understanding dawns on Kara’s face.

“What did you do?” Kara asks quietly.

Lena purses her lips, afraid of Kara’s reaction. She looks away in shame.

“Lena,” Kara urges her, lifting her chin up. She looks directly into Lena’s eyes. “Please.”

She takes a deep breath and nods to herself.

“I traveled to a different Earth and found someone who could send my consciousness back to my younger self. I saved you.”

“And Lex escaped,” Kara finishes for her, understanding what she is trying to say.

“And Lex escaped,” Lena repeats.

Kara is quiet. She looks at Lena with an odd expression, like she’s trying to figure out a complicated puzzle. Several minutes of silence pass and Lena is convinced she’s lost Kara forever. Her selfishness has cost her this one thing, the things she’s been trying to hold on to as it continually slips through her fingers. It’s cost her Kara.

“Oh Lena,” Kara finally whispers. She drags her thumb on Lena’s cheek and moves in to kiss her. She rolls Lena on her back and kisses her hard and Lena responds in kind, her hands running down Kara’s ribs and settling on her hips. When she feels Kara straddle her, Lena sits up and spreads her fingers on the small of Kara’s back, pulling her impossibly close.

She noses her way down Kara’s neck and kisses every patch of skin down the valley of her chest, muttering apologies and words of love with every kiss. This time around, there isn’t an alarm to stop her from loving every inch of Kara.

- 

“Extra precautions, in case we have a mole in the resistance,” Winn elaborates as he closes the door behind them. Lena looks around, marveling at the impressive number of generators in the dimly lit room. Inside her standard issued toiletries were directions to meet in the mechanical room. She turns to Winn. 

“Why would you think that?” She asks.

Before Winn can respond, the generators power up and make it near impossible to hear. The noise must be incredibly loud for Lena to hear it and be annoyed, and the look on Winn’s face confirms it. He fumbles with two pairs of large headphones and hands one to Lena.

The generators rumble on for a minute more. When the engines stop, he motions for them to take the headphones off. Lena realizes why Winn insisted they meet here—it would be near impossible to eavesdrop.

“I’m just being dramatic. I saw this in a movie once and I've always wanted a clandestine generator room meeting. What did you want to tell me?” Winn asks. “We have thirty minutes until the next cycle.”

“You have to promise not to interrupt.”

“Lena,” Winn says with indignation. “I would never.”

“Winn,” Lena says with a warning.

“Fine. I swear on the Millennium Falcon.”

That’s as serious of an oath as it’ll ever get, so Lena tells Winn everything. She starts with Kara and Lex dying during Lex’s attack on National City. Unabashedly, she elaborates on her desperate attempt to bring Kara back, fueled by the knowledge of Kitty Pryde’s existence. She tells him of their forays in inter-dimensional travel and her eventual success in convincing Kitty to send her consciousness back to the past.

“I succeeded in saving Kara,” Lena continues. “But Lex escaped. And when I woke up, I was in a prison cell with a hail of bullets on the other side of the metal door.” 

“At which point you tried to strangle me with a pillowcase,” Winn supplies. 

“Yes,” Lena deadpans.

Winn is quiet for a few minutes. The generators power up again and this time, neither of them move to acknowledge it.

“Oh my god,” Winn says after the generators quiet down. Lena feels herself shrink a little bit, waiting for the verbal lashing.

“You pulled an Anakin Skywalker!” Winn hisses.

“I-What?” Lena asks incredulously, stepping back and assessing Winn’s expression.

“He flipped when he found out Padme Amidala was going to die and fucked the whole galaxy in the process of trying to save her! And she still died!”

Lena is at a loss for words. This is not the reaction she expected. Winn continues babbling.

“The evil Sith Lord took you but you didn’t turn evil. More like he froze you, Han-Solo-carbonite-slab style. But I always thought I was Han Solo or maybe Lando. You know? No special Jedi powers, just your average yet handsome space cowboy—”

“Winn. Focus!” Lena snaps her fingers, pulling Winn back from the deep end.

Winn stops.

“Woah,” he says, shaking his head. “I almost lost myself there. Sorry.”

He looks sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck.

“We could all die tomorrow, you know?” He says quietly. “I just got pretty excited to have my nerd friend back.”

Lena softens at that. She pulls him close and gives him a tight hug.

“I’m glad to be back too,” She says quietly against his shoulder.

“You have to forgive me,” He says even quieter. “I lost hope Lena. I thought he had killed you.”

When she pulls back, she sees the defeated look on Winn’s face. She shakes her head to disagree.

“Winn, I was gone for a decade.”

“Kara never once lost hope,” Winn argues. “She kept on searching, even when it all started going to hell. It killed her when she lost control of her powers because it took her away from helping people…but I think it killed her more that she had to stop looking for you.”

“Well,” Lena starts, not really sure what to say. “This whole mess is my fault.”

“Don’t say that,” Winn chides.

Lena straightens up and puts her hands on his shoulders.

“But we can fix it,” She says with conviction. “We just need to travel to Earth-10, find Kitty Pryde, and go back at the right point in time to this mess. Easy-peasy.”

Winn cringes.

“What?” Lena asks.

“We might have one tiny, minor problem in this otherwise brilliant plan,” He says with a wince.

“Which is…?”

“Lex did something to prevent inter-dimensional travel,” He explains. “To prevent people from escaping and any other heroes from coming to save us.”

“Are you serious?” Lena blanches. “How is that even possible?”

“Kryptonian technology,” Winn supplies. “They discovered the multiverse when Sara Lance and the Legends came to try and help us.”

“Try?” Lena blanches. Winn shakes his head and looks away.

“I’m sorry.”

Lena puts her face in her hands.

“Although…” Winn starts. “I think there is one thing we can try—”

“Let’s do it,” Lena immediately agrees.

“But we have to tell Alex,” Winn continues. “And how much of your rightful Luthor fortune do you wanna bet that you’re in trouble?” 

-

“Let me get this straight,” Alex says with an impassive face. Winn nods next to Lena, who has just finished recounting her story a third time. Lena holds her breath.

“You’re telling me that in the original timeline, Kara died when the kryptonite bomb exploded. And you two figured out a way to dimension hop and find a mutant who can send Lena back in time to save Kara. Except Lex Luthor escaped when you went back and he took you. Fast forward ten years and we’re here.”

Lena purses her lips. It seems weird listening to her long and arduous journey simplified as such, but this is Alex after all.

“Yes,” is all Lena says.

“The world is ending. I’m without an eye and an arm,” Alex continues. “And you expect me to agree to let you to do it again?”

“Well, when you put it that way,” Winn chimes in.

“Agent Schott, I need to speak to Lena alone,” Alex cuts him off.

Lena eyes him with a pleading stare.

“Yes ma’am,” Winn says hurriedly, scampering out of the mechanical room. So much for solidarity.

Alex sighs heavily.

“Alex,” Lena starts.

“You did this for her,” Alex says quietly.

Lena stops.

“Of course,” Lena whispers. “You were just as heartbroken as me. Don’t you understand?”

“I do,” Alex tells her, eyes closing. “Trust me, I do.”

“Alex, listen—”

“The last inter-dimensional portal is on the roof of the White House,” Alex explains. “Where Lex and Julian live, heavily guarded by more than just men and machinery. And even if we were to miraculously make it through without Kara, how can you guarantee that you’ll successfully reverse all of this, given that it all happened because of your intervention in the first place?”

Lena opens her mouth to say something but the words die before she can make a sound. Alex looks at her, waiting for a response.

“I know I screwed it up,” Lena tries again. “But this is our chance to make it all right. To bring back what we lost. If you don’t trust me, we can send somebody else back. You can go back. Save Kara. Save us all.”

Alex sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose.

“It might be better to accept this is your reality now,” Alex mumbles, brushing past her to leave the room. “That’s what I did.”

The door slams behind her and Lena flinches. She stares at the door for a good minute, unable to believe her eyes. This is not the Alex she had come to see as a sister. This is not the same Alex who held her hand while they buried Kara in Midvale. 

- 

“What happened to Alex?” Lena asks quietly, curling into Kara’s side. “She just shut me down.”

Kara stiffens and sits up.

“And she’s barely come to see you since I’ve come here.”

Kara gets out of bed and sits on the floor, leaning her head back. Lena rolls over and allows herself to dangle off the edge to meet Kara’s eyes.

“Kara?”

“I happened,” Kara tells her, playing with the threads on her shirt. “At the height of the plague, when I was sick with the Medusa virus, I lost control of my powers for the first time.”

“Just like…”

“Just like what you saw when the red lamp went out,” Kara nods. “I killed them. Eliza. Maggie. They were trying to help and I killed them. Alex lost her eye and her arm trying to contain me.”

Lena feels her heart drop, thinking back to Alex’s words earlier.

“She hasn’t been able to look at me since,” she says quietly. “She won’t say it, but I know she blames me.”

“That’s not true.”

Lena almost falls when she lifts her head to look at the source of the sound. Kara’s breathe hitches. There, standing at the door, is Alex. She looks so tired. When she meets Kara’s eyes, she shakes her head.

“I don’t blame you,” Alex says quietly.

Lena gets up, crouching to kiss Kara on the temple. Lena has always known that while she is Kara’s heart, Alex is Kara’s soul. Alex is her hero. Kara Danvers draws her strength in her sister’s faith above all. If Alex does not believe in Kara, then Kara does not believe in herself.

“I’m just going to go,” She says, motioning to the door. She walks past Alex and gives a cursory glance. When she feels the door close behind her, she lets out a relieved sigh 

- 

“I can’t believe he did this,” Lena whispers later that night, when they’re curled up in bed.

“Lex?” Kara asks.

Lena nods, not looking away from the ceiling. It’s the first time she’s had a quiet moment to really process what happened in the past decade. It’s a hard pill to swallow and she feels like this is a dystopian movie set she’s stumbled upon. Seeing broadcasts of the world outside the resistance base reminds her this is very much happening and it’s all happening because of her brother.

“One time, when I was thirteen, I snuck into Lillian’s closet and found one of her favorite blouses,” Lena starts slowly, closing her eyes at the memory. “I thought it was the most beautiful thing in the world. It was expensive, something I definitely had no business touching.”

Lena turns to look at Kara with a slight smile.

“But who can blame me for trying when there is a beautiful girl to impress.”

Kara laughs when she winks.

“I was infatuated with one of the popular girls at my school. The first time, really, that I felt like that. So I had it in my head that my mother’s top would be sure to impress her. I stowed it away in my bag and put it on once I got to school.”

She feels Kara’s fingers tucking her hair behind her ear. Lena lets out a content sigh.

“It was horrible,” Lena continues. “Veronica Sinclair laughed at me in front of all her friends.”

“Veronica Sinclair?” Kara hisses. “You said you never liked her!”

“Shh,” Lena glares at her and pretends to be offended. “I said no such thing.”

Kara smiles.

“Anyhow,” Lena resumes. “I was heartbroken. I ran out of school with tears in my eyes. I don’t quite know how I ended up there, but I found myself in Central Park.”

Lena grows quiet. Kara takes her hand and urges her to continue.

“That’s how Lex found me,” She swallows hard, remembering that exact day. The lump forming in her throat doesn’t go away.

“I don’t really know why he was there, I think he was home early for Thanksgiving break,” Lena explains. “But he passed by me on the park bench and did a double take. He said, ‘Kid, what on earth are you doing here?’ and I just looked up at him with my tear stained face. I couldn’t say a word. You know what he did? He just smiled, handed me his handkerchief, and said ‘well, come on then’.”

She smiles to herself.

“We spent the rest of the day at Coney Island. We got ice cream and then Lex bought out a movie theater and we watched Spy Kids. We jumped from seat to seat and acted along with the movie.”

If Kara has taken notice that her voice has gotten thicker with her unshed tears, she doesn’t say anything.

“We went on so many rides,” Lena laughs, feeling her tears finally fall. “And wasted money trying to win prizes at the carnival booths. When we went home, he distracted mother so I could return her blouse.”

Kara pulls her close then. Lena remembers sharing stories of her life with Kara back before. Kara knows as much as she can, from whispered conversations in bed or while they sailed out on the boat under the Sunday sky. Even before they became a couple, Kara saw Lena struggle through what they all thought was Lex’s death.

Kara understands better than anyone that Lex’s descent into madness has left a profound gap in Lena, in a way that Krypton’s destruction has left one in Kara.

“I thought if he’d come back for anyone, it’d be for me,” Lena whispers.

She snorts.

“How wrong was I? He’s tried to kill me multiple times. And he kept me in a jar for a decade. He has truly let all this hatred and anger consume him.”

Kara speaks up.

“There’s nothing wrong with missing the brother you once had,” She whispers.

She kisses the crown of Lena’s head and holds her while she cries.

“I’ve always wondered what Lex’s long term goal is,” Kara says quietly. “Your brother may have lost his mind, but he also has genius level intellect. He has to have something up his sleeve.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Lena sniffles. “We have to reverse it all before he gets the chance to unleash his plan.”

“I have an idea,” Kara says. “I was talking to Alex about my condition and we came up with something.”

Lena sits up, curious about Kara’s thoughts. She he’s been wondering about this since she arrived, racking her brain for a possible solution. From her observations, she’s pretty sure the problem is the un-metabolized energy stored in Kara. She’s not entirely sure how it got to be that way, but clearly she can metabolize it now, if the crater and the burn marks in the room are anything to go by.

“Okay, shoot,” Lena says, looking down at Kara.

“From what I understand,” Kara starts. “My cells take the light energy from the yellow sun and metabolize it. My body takes this and provides me with powers. Alex took some samples and observed this in the lab. I think the Medusa Virus acted like an inhibitor during the course of my infection…but that didn’t mean that I stopped storing energy from the sun at that time.”

Lena nods, following along.

“I went immediately into exile, after the,” Kara stutters, taking a deep breath. “After the incident. I’ve been under the red sun lamp ever since.”

Lena’s brows furrow.

“I suppose,” Lena starts slowly. “This means you have a finite supply of energy in you at the moment.”

“Exactly,” Kara says excitedly, sitting up. “We just have to expend it. That’s the part I’m stuck on. I’m not sure how this can be done safely. But I need to be able to go back out to the surface. We can fix this mess together.”

Lena feels her chest fill with warmth. Kara is always going to be a hero.

“I will help you save us all,” Lena says quietly, taking her hand. “Whatever I need to do.”

The lights flicker for a brief second. When Lena turns to look, she eyes the red strobe light in the room, meant to warn Kara when a power cycle is about to take place.

“Power…” Lena mutters to herself.

“What was that?” Kara asks.

Lena looks from the siren to Kara.

“That’s it!” Lena says. 

- 

The solution Kara, Lena, and Alex come up with is to transfer the pent up energy in Kara to the solar panels powering the resistance base. Winn and Lena build a power converter to step down the intensity of Kara’s heat vision and to convert the heat energy back to light energy.

“Quite the light show,” Alex says as she stands next to Lena. Lena looks at her and sees a different woman. It is as if the burden has been lifted from Alex’s shoulders and she can somewhat breathe again.

They turn back to watch Kara dispense all the stored energy in her.

“Back at it again,” Alex continues. “Just like the old times, when we worked on bionics.”

Lena smiles.

“J’onn tells me your eye is the new and improved version of mine,” Lena jokes.

Alex jokingly shrugs, putting on a mock air of modesty.

“Not to toot my own horn,” Alex says with a smirk. “But we were a little pressed for time with yours, seeing as we used a prototype, so I wouldn’t be too hard on myself if I were you.”

Lena laughs.

“Your brain saved us all,” Alex says softly. “You weren’t even here, but all those technologies you helped develop. Julian and Lex used them for their bigger agenda…but it still saved people, Lena.”

“It makes me happy,” Lena admits. “All I wanted was to use the resources given to me to be a force of good.”

“I’m sorry,” Alex turns to look at her. “I never apologized for doubting you when you first came to National City and then again when we rescued you. I’m sorry for giving up on you when you disappeared.”

“I’ll forgive you if you forgive me for dooming us all,” Lena says quietly. She sees Alex shake her head.

“How can I be angry at you for loving my sister?” Alex tells her. She puts her hands on Lena’s shoulders.

“You didn’t mean to do this. And you’re going to help us fix it,” she continues, looking at Lena.

“Lena! Alex!”

Lena and Alex look up in time to see Kara running towards them, smiling brightly.  

“I'm free!” Kara exclaims.

Lena laughs. 

-

“Do you all understand what we are asking you to do?”

Lena swallows, looking around the briefing room, where all the members of the resistance have gathered to listen to J’onn and Alex explain the plan. There are defiant nods and determined faces. Lena looks back at Alex and finds herself nodding.

“Then I suggest you say your goodbyes and rest up,” Alex says. “We’re going to save the world tomorrow.” 

-

“I haven’t seen the sun in years,” Kara says quietly, palms flat against the skylight. She looks up in silent awe, lips parted and blue eyes bright. “I’ve forgotten what sunlight feels like on my skin.”

Lena watches quietly, leaning against the wall with a small smile. Kara turns to her.

“Just like how I almost forgot your laugh,” Kara frowns. She floats back down to Lena and takes her hand.

“They say a Luthor doesn’t really laugh,” Lena deadpans. “They only cackle maniacally over their cauldrons.”

Kara honest to god laughs, full bellied with her head thrown back. Lena softens at the sound, trying to remember the last time she’s heard it.

“To be fair,” Lena starts. “The last time I heard you laugh like that was when we were on our Pacific Highway road trip.”

“That was,” Kara trails off. “A long time ago.”

Lena nods.

“I had big plans for when we got back to National City,” Kara explains, reaching into her pocket. She holds up her hand and gives Lena a sheepish smile. Lena’s eyes widen.

It’s the ring. The same one Alex handed her after Kara’s funeral all those years ago. This Kara kept it.

“Kara…” She says reverently.

“Marry me,” Kara whispers urgently, clutching Lena’s hand in hers. “If our plan fails, and tomorrow is the end, let me die the happiest woman on Earth.”

Lena feels the tears streaming down her face. She nods and inhales sharply.

“Yes,” She manages. “Of course I’ll marry you.”

Kara’s face splits into a wide smile, she pulls Lena in for a hug and lifts her off the ground. Lena laughs, holding on to her tight. Kara puts her down after spinning around a few times.

“Come on, we have to find someone who can marry us!” She says excitedly, dragging Lena with her. 

- 

J’onn marries them under the skylight, with Alex, Jimmy, and Winn watching. Kara slides the ring on Lena’s finger and kisses her shyly in front of what remains of their family.

They spin around and dance to old scratchy records Winn’s managed to dig up. Lena watches as J’onn twirls Kara before kissing her temple. She does the robot with Jimmy and the silly fishing pole dance with Winn, laughing as he squirms like a fish on a hook, being reeled in against his will. Alex and Kara twirl each other around, doing a weird dance routine Lena surmises they created in their childhood.

When the record skips to a slow song, to a crooner singing about stars shining bright above them, Kara holds out her hand to Lena. She takes it and allows herself to be pulled close, leaning her head against Kara’s and swaying to the music. She doesn’t notice the soft eyes on them, only Kara humming along to the song in her ear.

And that night, when Kara leads her back to the red sun room one last time, Lena loves Kara as hard as her lips and fingers will allow. Kara loves just as hard, pulling her flush and kissing her like there is no tomorrow. 

 

_It’s the end of the world as we know it_

 

 

The plan is this: J’onn and Jimmy will lead a diversion, mounting a guerrilla attack on the capital with much of the rebel force. This should draw most of Lex’s security forces away from the White House. At the same time, Kara, Alex, Winn, and Lena will infiltrate the White House via the underground tunnels throughout DC. Winn will put the security cameras on loop, giving them a limited amount of time to use the hidden passages to infiltrate the White House.

Lena hugs Jimmy tightly. She thanks him for being a good friend and for leading the charge to rescue her. He gives her his megawatt smile and says ‘anytime’ before walking away and going their separate ways. Lena refuses to say goodbye. 

- 

“Are you almost done there, Winnslow?” Alex asks, looking back at Winn as he types away. They’ve managed to breach the White House and are a stairwell away from the rooftop. There are multiple laser barrier walls between them and the stairwell and Winn is attempting to reprogram the walls. 

“Almost,” Winn says. “Got it!” 

The laser walls disappear and Winn turns around, gesturing for everyone to go. 

“Hurry!” He hisses.

Lena turns and begins to run, following behind Alex and Kara.

“They’re here!”

Voices and footsteps come from behind them and Lena ganders a look over her shoulder. Winn is a few feet behind her and she sees the armed men turning a corner. Her eyes widen when Winn turns and shoots the control panel for the laser walls.

“Winn, no!” She cries out just as the last laser wall re-energizes behind her. Eyes wide with panic she looks at Alex and Kara behind her before looking back at Winn, who is now trapped, two laser walls behind them. The armed men are also stuck behind the first laser wall, unable to power them down due to the damaged control panel.

“I’ll get you out!” Kara yells. “Hang on!”

“Go!” Winn shakes his head, holding up his rifle. “If you disable the walls in any way, they’ll kill us all. You have to go.”

“We’re not leaving you,” Kara says.

Lena watches in horror as the men at the other end start working on the fried panel. They’ll eventually find the power source that will override the failsafe. She meets Winn’s eyes and they share a look of understanding. She turns to Alex and sees a resigned look.

“Thank you, Winn,” Alex nods, taking a step back. “It’s been an honor.”

“What?” Kara turns, her eyes wide. “No!”

“We have to go Kara.”

Kara turns to Winn with tears in her eyes.

“Winn!” Kara starts.

“I can be the hero this time around,” He jokes. “Like Han Solo.”

“Let’s go,” Alex says, taking Kara by the arm.

Lena starts taking a few steps back, keeping her eyes on Winn the whole time.

“May the force be with you,” he says, giving her a nod and a small smile. She turns and breaks out into a sprint to catch up with Alex and Kara, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. 

-

Bursting through the rooftop doors, Alex holds her gun up and looks around. Lena runs through the door and sees it—the portal.

“There it is,” she says quietly. Kara appears next to her, eyes still red from crying.

Someone starts a slow clap.

“Well done, Lena.”

All three of them turn at the sound and are met with Lex Luthor. Lena clenches her fist at the sight. Alex aims her gun at Lex, who doesn’t even blink.

“Did you know our sun’s core has become increasingly unstable?” Lex starts slowly. “Our Solar System won’t last another century. You see, I knew. While everyone else is caught up in useless chatter, I’ve taken the liberty of terraforming a planet to save humanity. Well, let me rephrase that.”

He looks directly at Lena.

“ _You_ have taken the liberty of terraforming a planet to save humanity.”

“What?” She says, dumbfounded.

“Yes, you did,” Lex nods, folding his hands behind his back and looking out at Washington DC. “You see, this is where it comes together. The terraformed planet is ready, an endeavor you started with LCorp long before your disappearance. Now you’ve escaped from your decade long imprisonment to thwart your evil brothers. Unfortunately, not in time to save everyone. Before tonight is done, all alien life will cease to exist on this planet. We’ll have wiped the slate clean for you.”

He turns back to address Lena.

“Kid, we’re two sides of the same coin, for without destruction there can be no rebirth.”

“Okay, I’m a little over this monologue,” Alex says but Lex ignores her.

“I will be the destroyer of worlds and you, my dear sister, the giver of life. You will usher humanity into a Golden Era. The Luthor name will live on forever.”

Lena shakes her head.

“You expect me to believe you? After you’ve tried to kill me multiple times?”

Lex’s face softens. For a second, he looks truly apologetic.

“It was all for show, kid,” He smiles at her. “There had to be no doubt of your innocence in all this. It was the only way I could make sure you were the hero of the story. By being the villain.”

“Yeah, I’m done,” Alex says again, pulling the trigger aimed at Lex.

“We don’t need the riff raff,” Lex says loudly.

A blur passes in front of Lena and Alex yells out next to her before dropping to the ground.

“Alex!”

Lena immediately feels for her pulse and breathes a sigh of relief. Kara is up in a flash, super speeding to punch Lex in the face. Lex, to his credit, doesn’t even flinch. When Kara’s punch lands, it doesn’t land on Lex.

It lands on Superman.

“K-Kal?” Kara lets out.

Lena’s eyes widen. Superman is standing in front of Lex, his chest taking the brunt of Kara’s punch. She’s been told Clark Kent succumbed to the modified Medusa virus outbreak. And yet…

This Superman is different. He’s lost his suit of red, blue, and gold and traded it for a solid black suit with the LuthorCorp logo on his chest. His hair is disheveled and red veins pulsate on his neck. And his lifeless eyes stare at Kara, devoid of any emotion. There is no sign of recognition on his face.

He grabs Kara by the throat and lifts her up. Her feet dangle in the air and her hands grip at Superman’s stranglehold.

“Kara!”

Lena makes to run toward Kara and is restrained by strong arms. When she turns, she’s met with her eyes on Lex’s face. Lionel’s eyes. There is no mistaking it.

“Lena,” Julian says. “I’ve heard much about you.”

She’s about to respond when Kara’s voice calls her back.

“Kal!” Kara wheezes out, hands grasping at Superman’s chokehold. “You don’t want to do this!”

Lex laughs.

“Kal-El is dead!” He spits out.

Lena watches in horror as she struggles to break free from Julian’s hold. Kara’s eyes begin to roll back and Superman sneers, red pulsing through his veins.

“Hey, punk! Get off my sister!”

Lena turns at the sound of Alex’s voice and spots a green dagger in her hands. Things move too fast. Alex rushes Superman and Lena hears the sound of a dagger plunging into a body. He releases his grip on Kara. Yelling out, Alex rams her shoulder into him, running and pushing him back. They both topple off the edge of the rooftop.

There is no mistaking the sound that follows when the two bodies hit the ground below.

“Alex!” Kara yells out, running to the edge of the rooftop.

“Kara, don’t!” Lena calls after. Alex wouldn’t have wanted her to see.

Kara stops and clenches her fists. With the sounds of fighting and explosions in the distance, she is every bit the vengeful and angry god Lex is afraid of. She turns and rushes Lex. This time, her punch connects to his jaw. Lex is thrown across the roof. Julian immediately throws Lena to the ground, the impact knocking her out.

Julian stands in front of Lex and points a gun at Kara.

“Stay back, alien!”

He’s helpless.

In a heartbeat, Kara’s knocked out his gun and now has him by the throat, dangling him over the edge of the rooftop.

“Give me a reason why,” Kara hisses.

“Here’s one,” Lex says from behind them, pulling the trigger and sending a kryptonite bullet through Kara.

Kara yells out and drops Julian, his screams stopping once he hits the ground. Lex gets up, wiping the blood from his lip. He moves closer to Kara’s crumpled form.

-

Lena slowly comes to, squeezing her eyes at the painful headache. She opens them slowly at the sound of Kara’s cries of pain. Sitting up, she spots Kara. She’s curled up and clutching her bleeding stomach. Lex sneers as he towers above her. Lex raises his gun and aims it for Kara’s head.

“This is where your story ends, Kara Zor-El,” Lex says.

Lena springs into action. She throws her entire body weight on her brother, knocking him down. The gun fires and misses Kara by an inch. In their struggle, the kryptonite gun flies a few feet away, landing by the stairwell.

Lex wrestles her and forces her to stop moving.

“Listen to me!” Lex screams in her face, hands tightening around her throat. “Don’t ruin it all, kid. This isn’t what dad would have wanted! He killed him, Lena! You have to know Dad died because Kal-El didn’t save him. There is no room for these entitled gods in our new world!”

Lena gasps for air. She flails around, looking for something, anything around her.

“When are you going to see reason, Lena?”

Lex grabs her face and forces her to look at Kara’s crumpled form on the ground. Lena tries to push him away, Kara’s blood giving her a second wind.

“You’re going to watch her bleed to death,” Lex hisses in her face. He takes a hand off her neck and pulls out a device. “Along the other worthless vermin you call friends. I’m told they are doing an excellent job repelling my forces.”

Lena’s eyes widen.

“Ka—”

He clicks the button and throws the device away. A loud explosion erupts and Lena can see a bright light from behind her brother. Lena takes another look at Kara. She grits her teeth. Her brother laughs like a maniac, shaking on top of her. His vice like grip tightens around her neck and when she looks into his eyes, Lena can no longer recognize her brother.

A shot is fired.

Lena is immediately sprayed with her brother’s blood. He lets go of her then, grasping his neck and rolling on to his back. Lex is gurgling words but Lena pays no attention.

“You sick son of a bitch,” a bloody Winn gasps out, holding up the kryptonite gun and leaning against the stairwell.

Lena crawls over to Kara and takes her hand.

“Kara,” She says, willing Kara to look at her. It hurts to talk, and she’s sure she’s covered in blood, but she feels her eyes water because Kara’s pulse is slowing. Kara cracks her eyes open and looks at her. She smiles slowly and Lena lets out a relieved laugh.

“Save the world, Lena,” Kara is barely able to whisper. “I know you can do it.”

Lena wants to argue that it’s Kara’s job to save the world. She’s the hero in this story, not Lena.

“Lena! Kara!” Winn calls out, approaching them. He’s limping and he stops in his tracks when he sees the sight in front of him. Lena doesn’t take her eyes away from Kara.

“I love you,” Kara ekes out. “Always.”

Her hand in Lena’s falls limp and her head lolls back.

“I love you too,” Lena cries quietly, closing Kara’s lifeless eyes.

She gently lays down Kara’s body and kisses it, the large explosion spreading in the background.

Never in her life did she think she would have watch Kara die twice.

“Lena, you have to go!”

Lena tears her eyes away from the fast approaching mushroom cloud and runs to the portal. Winn limps over to the controls.

“Earth 10?” He asks her.

“Earth 10,” Lena nods.

Winn slams the button and the portal materializes in front of her. Lena gives him a nod before jumping in, hearing the approaching shockwave shatter windows near them.

-

“Lena?!” Kitty yells out as Lena comes to a screeching halt, her boots skidding on the floor.

She looks around and sees where she is back in Kitty’s bedroom. Judging by the wrinkled bed covers and the surprised look on Kitty’s face, she can surmise that her younger self had just disappeared.

“Holy smokes! You just disappeared a second ago!” Kitty explains. She stops, taking in Lena’s appearance. She must be a sight, covered in blood.

“Kitty, we don’t have a lot of time,” Lena explains, lying down on the hardwood floor.

“What’s happened?” Kitty asks, looking at her apprehensively. “You look like you went through a slaughterhouse.”

“I promise I will come back to explain to you,” Lena says urgently. “But if we don’t hurry, there won’t be an Earth for me to come from.”

Kitty eyes her.

“You’re very dramatic,” Kitty says, kneeling next to Lena. “Alright, where are we off to?”

“To where I should have ended it in the first place,” Lena says. She takes a sharp breath when Kitty’s cold fingers touch her temples.

Closing her eyes, she imagines where she needs to go. 

-

‘BOOM.’

Lena blinks to consciousness and sees agents standing guard on the other side of the bunker. A loud explosion above them rocks the bunker. Lena grabs the gun Alex gave her and ducks as she sprints across the room. There’s a small whirring noise, except this time, Lena knows exactly what’s going to happen.

“Miss Luthor!” One of the agents gestures for her to come closer. She unceremoniously shoves them into the bathroom and pushes the armchair against the door, ignoring their protests.

The whirring noise gets louder and louder and Lena looks around, spotting the metal dining table. She flips it on its side just as the drill bit comes barreling through the ceiling. Lena drops behind the table. Shards of debris explode from the drill bit and she subconsciously shields her eyes.

Lena emerges when she hears someone jump down from the drill bit.

 _“Pull the trigger,’_ Alex’s voice from what feels like a long time ago rings in her head. _‘Think you can do that, Luthor?”_

“Do it.”

Lena looks straight into Lex Luthor’s eyes.

“Do it, Lena,” Lex dares her. “Shoot your own brother.”

Lena eyes him and tries to remember the brother who found her crying on the park bench that sunny autumn day—soft smiles and hand ruffling her hair as she blew her nose in his handkerchief.

_“Forget that girl, kid. Your brother will love you forever.”_

She sees no trace of that boy in this man’s eyes.

“My brother is dead,” Lena says. She shoots him right between the eyes.

The last thing she sees before the world fades to black is Lex’s lifeless eyes staring back at her. 

 

 _No grave can hold me down, I’ll crawl home to her_  

 

_Kara hums a soft tune in her ear, holding her close as they float in the water. A flock of birds take off from Anacapa Island and Kara’s eyes follow them with pure wonder._

_Lena watches her, unable to look away. When Kara’s eyes land on Lena’s, she tilts her head and her brows furrow in question._

_“What?” She says with a hint of laughter, the water’s glimmer reflecting on her face. She looks like she’s floating amongst the stars._

_Lena shakes her head and smiles. She leans in and rests her head against Kara’s._

_“It’s nothing.”_  

- 

Lena wakes up with a strangled scream. She looks around and doesn’t recognize anything around her. She’s in a dimly lit room and she can hear the sound of waves crashing in the distance.

What happened? Did she succeed in changing the past?

A loud sound shakes her out of her reverie. She shuts her eyes, a sense of déjà vu overwhelming her. She’s half expecting Jimmy and Winn to burst into her prison cell to save her.

Is it truly impossible for her and Kara to have a future together?

“No, no, no! Stop!”

Lena’s eye snap open. That’s neither Jimmy nor Winn. And this room is most definitely not a prison cell. In a heartbeat, she bolts out of the bed and opens the door.

Her vision is overwhelmed by bright, bright light and she’s stunned for a second. She hears before she sees—waves crashing, seagulls cawing, and the wind blowing. As her eyes adjust, she sees a number of things. First, the bright sun against the clear blue sky. Second, the peaceful ocean and the National City Marina up ahead. And third is Kara.

Standing on the deck, attempting to contain the overflowing champagne bottle in her hands, is Kara Zor-El. Her hair is blowing in the wind and she grins sheepishly when she sees Lena.

If she’s dead and this is the afterlife, then Lena will gladly stay here forever.

“Lena!” Kara says with a nervous laugh, hiding the open bottle of champagne behind her. “Sorry, did I wake you? I know you had a headache.”

“Kara,” Lena says reverently, afraid to approach her in case this is all a dream.

“I got this when we stopped at Monaco,” Kara brings up the now half full bottle. “Alex is going to kill me. She made me practice uncorking a champagne bottle so many times.”

Lena gives a tight lipped smile, feeling her eyes begin to water.

“Cat left a message on our last post. And so did Jess,” Kara continues to ramble, putting the bottle down and wiping her hands. “She says if you ever decide to take another yearlong sabbatical to, and I quote, ‘go on a whirlwind romantic adventure on your boat,’ she will probably kill you. And then quit. It’s a good thing we’re almost—”

Kara stops midsentence when she sees Lena crying quietly. A crinkle forms on her brow and she moves closer to Lena.

“Lena, are you okay?” She says, taking Lena’s hand into hers.

Lena nods, gathering herself and willing her eyes to stop crying. She blinks when she realizes the cold feeling of her bionic eye is gone. Slowly bringing up her hand to touch her intact eye, Lena laughs.

“Are you sure you don’t have a concussion? I told you playing pick-up soccer with local kids was a bad idea,” Kara tuts, fingers grazing Lena’s brow. “They learn how to play soccer as soon as they can walk!”

There are a plethora of things Lena should be thinking about: her technically being a murder, potential repercussions to this Earth's timeline, the yellow sun ticking like a time bomb. And memories from a life that never happened.

But her brain can only focus on Kara.

Lena looks on, remembering the time she spent with Kara. Her laugh. Her smile. Her kisses. The look she gets on her face when she goes tumbling off the cliff that Lena coaxes her to with her hands. The sun rising behind her ruffled hair and the sleepy smile on her face.

She remembers the hardened Kara from the dystopian future. Powerless and dejected, afraid to hurt the very people she’s sworn to protect. The elated look on her face when she felt the sun on her skin after years of exile. Her quiet tears as she promised to love and cherish Lena for the rest of her life, in sickness and in health.

She pushes down the heavy feeling in her chest at the memory of watching Kara die twice, distinctly remembering the feeling of dirt in her hands and sticky blood between her fingers.

Lena remembers their love from what feels like a lifetime ago and thanks her lucky stars for giving her another chance.

“You’re here,” Lena breathes out quietly, taking Kara’s face with both her hands. “You’re really here.”

Kara looks at her funny, laughing at Lena’s nonsensical babble.

“Well, yeah silly,” She starts slowly. “Where else would I be?”

Lena ignores her and leans in. She kisses Kara with everything she has to give, pulling her flush against her body. Kara squeaks in surprise before catching up and kissing her back.

“Good morning to you too,” Kara says in a daze after they separate. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever been better,” Lena smiles, tracing Kara’s cheek with her thumb. “I love you.”

Kara smiles.

“I love you, too.”

“Stop being so gross!”

They both turn toward the marina, where Alex is holding a bullhorn. Kara laughs.

“I told Alex you didn’t want to make a big deal of us coming home,” Kara explains. “But you know Alex. She does what she wants.”

“Hands where I can see them—Mags stop! This is my bullhorn! Get your own.”

Lena lets out a wet laugh, taking in the sight before her. Maggie is badgering Alex for a shot at the bullhorn. Eliza is waving with a smile and J’onn is smiling next to her. Winn and Jimmy are holding up terribly made posters that spell out ‘welcome home!’ And Jess is off to the side, most likely evading Sara Lance’s most obvious advances.

When she turns back to Kara, she’s met with a brilliant smile. Kara pulls her close and kisses the crown of her head.

“Ready to come home?”

“You have no idea.”


End file.
